Operation Shikon
by InuYasha-Breeze
Summary: Kagome is a volunteer beta-tester for what will be the newest, hottest-not to mention expensive-product for Japan's loneliest people. Her new toy seems far from ready to be on the market, but she's determined to figure out why. Of course she gets the malfunctioned one to beta-test; at least he's handsome. Rated for Language.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Warning: Language (Was definitely in a curse-y mood when writing this), OOCness**

"So, tell us about yourself- Kagome was it?" A woman dressed in what screamed _I'm-a-kindergarten-teacher_ asked politely, peeking over her clipboard that shielded her brightly colored lips. Seated across from her, the girl in question nodded, her posture less than perfect in the seat and her feet slipping out of her flats every so often.

Kagome would be lying if she said she didn't feel slightly out of place in the elegant room. Clearly, she had underdressed for the event in her tank top and shorts. She shrugged it off; she was used to the feeling at any other outing with her family.

"I'm like most twenty-something year olds," She admitted with an uncaring shrug. "Trying to live on my own, swimming amongst the endless bills, trying to remember to feed myself." She looked up and around, the strain hurting her eyes slightly. She nodded again to confirm that was all she had to say.

It had been her friend, Ayumi, who referenced her for this paid volunteer opportunity. Knowing that Kagome was in between jobs after recently graduating college and attempting to find a job opening in her vast field of business. She scoffed at the thought. Yeah, she graduated, but she felt unworthy putting on that graduation, she felt like she didn't know shit. She maintained fairly decent grades aside from having to work full time but now that it was over she felt like a lost kitten. Her father constantly warned her that there wouldn't be a job with open arms after she graduated. He was right and the search began. At a desperate attempt for cash and not wanting to ask her parents for help, Kagome took her friend up on her offer. All she really told her is that they needed beta testers for their product that they planned on releasing said products to the public in the following years. Kagome simply needed to make note of any malfunctions and report weekly to the company.

"And like most twenty-something year olds," The woman began with a chortle, "Would you say that long-term companionship is difficult to attain?"

Kagome leaned back in her chair, biting her lip in search of an answer. "You mean dating?"

The woman across from her simply nodded with a shrug, her ankles now crossed to the side of her. Kagome then remembered an etiquette class she took back in high school, how crossing your legs was now scandalous and crossing your ankles was the only way to keep employers from shooting their gaze up your skirt. Kagome glanced at the clock. When was this so-called check coming?

"Preciously." The slender woman rose from her seat and glided across the room in her heels delicately. Kagome internally bit back a laugh. Where the hell was she going? "Our company is striving to assist with committed companionship for a vast variety of men and women who struggle with finding a suitable partner that meets all of their needs."

Kagome stared at her blankly, smacking her lips once. She was definitely listening now, but her mind was listing countless things that this company insisted she trial. Lord help her if it was a sex toy.

"It might be easier if I just show you what I mean." Urasue, Kagome figured out finally glancing at the golden name plate of the desk, waved at Kagome to follow her to a door different from the one they had entered in. Kagome followed with interest but had her guard up. Again, her thoughts went to her father. He was very persistent in expressing that he didn't like her going to some "random-ass"- as he called it-business where Kagome would be tricked and sold as a slave.

The corridor was mainly empty, except for the cliché janitor whistling away while he mopped the floor. Urasue waved at him slightly as she punched in an authorization code for a vault like door they came across. Kagome took note of the obvious change in demeanor of the interviewer. Noticing as such, Urasue turned around to face her again before opening the vault.

"Ayumi recommended you partially for your open-mindedness." She seemed scared that Kagome would dart for the exit. Kagome only grinned at her, assuring her that she was interested in what was on the other side of the door. Urasue shifted through her notes on the clipboard and circled a section with her fingernail tilted towards Kagome. "This would be your compensation for participating in our trial."

Kagome's eyes were nearly punched out of her sockets. There could be a ruthless sex machine on the other side of that door and she would say yes. Kagome motioned for her to continue to open the vault.

As soon as she did so, they were caressed with a rush of cold air. The white tiles of the room were spotless no longer as Kagome strode in. The air was crisp and clean almost like the standards of an operating room.

'fucking shit what did I get myself into.' Kagome said mentally to herself as she gazed at the sight before her.

"Meet our genetically modified protypes, that we like to call Shikons!" She presented with her hands up in the air as if she had just done a backflip.

Anatomically, they looked human, but their distinctive features screamed youkai. Kagome had never come across an actual youkai in the small province she was from. They were heavily segregated from human civilization forming their own powerful districts. The humans were no match considering how much longer the lifespan of their demon counterparts were. There were five prototypes enclosed in a glass display cases sitting upright with nothing but a mere tightly bound cloth over the pelvis. All their heads were shifted down and their eyes were shut. Only one out of the bunch was female as far as Kagome could tell.

"Our company has collaborated with scientists taking youkai DNA, a little clay, a 'lil makeup yadda yadda and boom! Shikons! Lifelong companions for the heartbroken, the disabled, the—anyone really." She giggled to herself.

Kagome continued to say nothing, peering into the glass. Something about this didn't seem entirely legal.

"So they're not- like, _real_ people, right?" Kagome asked for assurance. ' _God please fucking say no.'_

"They're incredibly realistic, right?" Was all Urasue said with an overbearingly happy nod. "These are just a few of our prototypes of course, the test we had you take prior to your interview was necessary to pair you up with the Shikon whom we feel would be most compatible. Our spectrum has over twenty personalities. The one assigned to you, we already have a potential eager client waiting so we have to make sure it's in tip-top shape, ready to go."

Kagome thought it over. It was no different than a take-home pet, right? All she had to do was interact with it, note any fallacies, collect her paycheck and ride off into the sunset on her imaginary horse.

"So they're not—like, _real_ people?" Kagome asked again, not quite believing her that first time. Her laugh wasn't exactly a good enough answer for her.

"Like I said, our technology has combined youkai DNA, for a lifetime warranty, with a little help from…" Urasue began to mumble so Kagome couldn't quite make it out. "and all that science combines to get-"

"Boom, Shikons!" Kagome sighed, it was clear that the interviewer didn't deem Kagome smart enough to fully understand the complexity of the science behind it. "Yeah I heard the first time. Where do I sign?"

Urasue bit hard onto her own teeth and tried her best not to lose her composure. At least she had a willing participant; this was a step in the right direction.

Kagome was now back at home in her apartment, hours after the somewhat intense screening to make sure she was a qualified candidate to be a beta tester. She was seated in front of her couch in her living room sipping her coffee as she scanned through the "work-in-progress" owner's manual. The sound of the doorbell easily broke her concentration. She swore she had reread the same sentence far too many times.

"Damn that's some quick shipping." Kagome said rather impressed, setting her coffee mug on the table. She dusted herself off, hoping that would suffice for a first impression for her Shikon.

Presented at the door was a pretty tiny delivery boy compared to the towering crate beside him.

"Miss. Higurashi?" He asked, referring to the clipboard in his arm. Kagome threw up her signature socially-awkward peace sign. "Great, I just need a single signature."

"Jesus Christ, how tall is this thing?" Kagome asked, lazily signing her name. "It's light right?"

"You shouldn't have to move it around much. May I?" The delivery boy asked, wheeling in the crate into her apartment before she could protest. He took the crate off the apparatus and lied it flat, clipping away the zip ties for extra assistance. "That should do it."

"Thanks." Kagome smiled, inwardly cursing herself for not having spare change lying around to give the helpful delivery guy.

She showed him the way out and eagerly went to investigate the crate like a present left behind from Santa. Kagome snatched the owner's manual from the ground and continued reading.

"Each Shikon comes with a kukui nut lei equipped with state of the art technology that subdues the Shikon in the event of a mal- _the fuck_? That's an interesting safety feature. It is not recommended this be taken off for the first ninety days of use." Kagome looked over at the crate with a dumbfounded expression. "I'm gonna need some wine."

 **AN: I suppose you could say this is very** **loosely** **inspired by Chobits, Hal, and Big Hero 6 but with some darker undertones.**

 **This story is more or less outlined already, to avoid abandonment, so expect a chapter every week. Most likely Fridays. I really don't picture more than 12 chapters but we'll see.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. Song Inspiration: Waltz of the Flowers**

She had stalled long enough, and her glass of wine was long gone other than the subtle stain on her lips.

"Alright, let's see what they chose as a "perfect match" for me…" She flicked her thumbs over the latches and opened the crate slowly. It took her brain a few extra moments to process what she was seeing. She first noticed the snow, white hair sprawled artistically around the figure it belonged to. She had to do a double take a make sure the Shikon was indeed a male prototype and not female. Her breath had caught in her throat. She so badly wanted to take a picture in that instant with her phone, but it was forbidden in her contracts. He was sculpted to perfection in her eyes; the lack of clothing made Kagome blush. It was a good thing the eyes had been closed.

"Oh my…" Kagome laughed nervously. Sometimes she had no idea what she was getting herself into. As time passed she began to feel braver and picked up the hand of the Shikon. She nearly dropped it, feeling how similar it was to her own skin. The hands were accessorized with stiletto-like claws that Kagome was instantly jealous of. Saying he was gorgeous was indeed an understatement. She shook off her thoughts of impurity and continued her inspection for "flaws."

"Oh wow, are those cat ears?!" Kagome gasped, quickly losing interest in the hand and moving up to feel the perky appendages. "I kinda feel like a pervert right now but a highly intrigued one." She whispered to herself, lowering her finger down through his bangs and stopping once she reached an eyelid. She used just enough force to lift the eye lid up and nearly squealed like a girl that just saw a baby duck. "They're golden…"

' _I wonder where the on button is.'_ Kagome thought, trying to convince herself that her AC unit had spontaneously combusted and it wasn't her creepy 20somethingyearold lust fuming. She flipped through the manual again, skipping the congratulations part. "Simply call out your Shikon's name located just below the left side of the neck. Pfft. Easier said than done. He has a shit ton of hair." Kagome scooped away some of his hair and pushed the side of his head, which moved easily. Kagome squinted her eyes at the small tattoo in Japanese characters and cleared her throat.

"Eee…new…yasha?" She cleared her throat and tried again. "InuYasha."

Golden eyes flicked open instantly and Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin, backing away slightly.

"Jesus, no warm up, huh?" she placed her hand over her quickening heart. "That scared the crap outta me."

InuYasha rotated his head slightly until he locked eyes with Kagome's. A dead expression from him and a curious one expressed from her. Her eyes followed him as he rose slowly to a seated position, his posture impeccable.

No matter how much she may have wanted to, she just couldn't look away from his captivating, almost angry gaze. She thought he was beautiful in his 'sleep' mode but now she was speechless. Some of his hair had pooled over his shoulder and onto his lap. She couldn't tell if there was an actual rise and fall to his chest or if her mind had merely created it for him.

Kagome reached for the checklist the company had given to her and ran her pinky through it. So far so good?

Now what?

"Hi." Kagome said with weak effort.

'Really Kagome? Hi?!' She mentally picked up and threw herself out the kitchen window. His lips parted, but no words escaped. She could have been mistaken but he looked slightly confused. He brought his hand to his neck and averted his gaze.

"Can you speak? I'm Kagome." She introduced. He attempted again, but to no avail so he simply shook his head in defeat. Kagome smacked her lips and began writing some notes down. She wasn't an expert or anything, but she was pretty sure these things were capable of talking back to their owners.

' _That's why they needed beta-testers, you idiot'_

As she wrote, his eyes began to scan her apartment. She noticed him in the corner of her eye. His eyes would focus on something and then his head would turn in the direction. It wasn't a big living space, so it didn't preoccupy him for very long.

Kagome clapped her hands together and stood up. "As much as I'd like to abuse my power and put a bowtie around your neck—" Kagome paused and quickly wrote in the suggestions section. "What was I saying? Oh. You need some clothes." She snapped her fingers. One of the many perks of living alone that Kagome enjoyed was that she could talk openly to herself all day without judgement and now she could talk to a life-size doll-thing, guilt free.

She didn't wait for any indication that he actually understood what she said before she made her way to her bedroom and pulled open multiple doors to her dresser.

"I know that asshole's shorts are in here somewhere…" Kagome grumbled to herself. She had one pair of shorts left behind from her ex that didn't make it back home after their break up. It was a good thing she didn't burn them; she finally had a use for them!

Kagome trekked back to the living room, unrolling the pair of basketball shorts. "Hopefully they fit. Sisterhood of the traveling pants, am I righ—"

The crate was empty.

"Ah fuck." Kagome groaned with a roll of her eyes, dropping the shorts to the ground. Where could he have gone? She noticed the patio door near her dining room was slightly open and headed for it.

Her shiny new toy was perched up on the balcony wall like spiderman, again slightly awkward with lack of clothing. She wasn't going to lie though- He had a great back which the breeze very kindly helped to display. Not to mention that booty in those boxer briefs.

"Uh…InuYasha?" She tried. His ear twitched at the sound of his name and he turned slightly to look at her as if what he was doing wasn't weird as shit. She simply pointed back to the inside of the apartment. "I found something you can wear." She took a step closer to him and notice him tense up. What was with him? Did all Shikons act weird after first unpacking them?

' _Of course they give me the defective one.'_

He jumped down from the wall and stood leaning over her, almost threateningly. That's when Kagome figured out just how tall her new companion was. She hadn't felt so puny in her entire life until now. Even so, he was the toy and she was in control. She narrowed her brows as she was forced into yet another staring match with her exotically handsome Shikon.

"Good boy, come on." She cheeped, breaking the eye contact and leading the way back inside. "I didn't get a chance to read everything you're capable of but I'm hoping you can dress yourself." She kicked up the conveniently placed basketball shorts off the ground with a single toe and surprisingly he reached out to catch them.

He didn't break his gaze from her as he slowly bent down to place his feet through the openings and slide on the shorts.

Kagome gulped; trying to look at anything else in the room but him. The technology in Japan was getting too crazy. He was _too_ lifelike for her tastes.

"Any of my shirts would look ridiculous on you so I guess I'll have to go shopping for some in the morning-You don't have a very welcoming resting face, InuYasha." Kagome interjected with narrow eyes, wondering if there was a way she could adjust that. His ear twitched again at his name. "It's getting kinda late, I'll figure it out tomorrow. Now…how do I turn you off?" She flipped through the owner's manual again for what felt like the hundredth time. Nothing in there stated that Shikons would just gallantly shimmy out the door when the owner left the room. "Don't tell me you can't turn them off." Kagome was already plotting how she was going to have to lock him in the crate, so he didn't go outside cause _clearly_ he could open doors. "If I knew there was _this_ much reading involved, I don't know if I would have agreed to—ah ha! Here." Kagome tried to stifle her giggle. His ears? What a cute off switch.

She awkwardly shuffled around him, not sure the best method. She wasn't entirely sure if she shut him down in a standing position if he would just fall over on her. She thought about just pushing him down but opted out of it. He still kinda freaked her out. Instead, she sat on the couch and patted the spot next to her.

"InuYasha, sit please."

The kukui nut lei around his neck pulsed about with a fluorescent light threaded through out it. Kagome watched the Shikon fall to his knees in that same instant. He looked like he was actually in- pain? Kagome stood up in a panic and clasped her hands over her mouth. "Oh god, I didn't mean to do that! What the hell!?"

 **Next update: 10/12/18**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

" _Yeah…. I would try your best not to say S-I-T around your Shikon casually. It's mentioned several times throughout the manual. It's a necessary disciplinary mechanism in the event a Shikon misbehaves or malfunctions."_

Kagome stared out in disbelief with her ear still on the phone. It was just a little bit after ten in the morning now. Immediately following the literally _shocking_ event that occurred the night prior, Kagome panicked and double tapped her Shikon's ears to make him shut down. Luckily, he didn't freeze in his pained expression and he went back to looking peacefully asleep, although in a slightly strange position.

Kagome looked over at the Shikon in a knee-chest position beside the couch. That couldn't have been a comfortable sleeping position.

"Oh and another thing-" Kagome began.

" _I'm so sorry to be rude Kagome, but I must get going. I'll meet with you a week from now. I know you'll do great."_

The other line died.

The average person might think that avoiding such a mundane word would be easy. But having to be careful just made Kagome want to say it ten times in a row like a child.

She breathed in the quiet atmosphere of her apartment. She contemplated going back to bed, as she would often do in lonely times like this. But hey, that's what Shikons were all about, right?

Kagome tiptoed lightly over to InuYasha and folded her arms across her chest.

"InuYasha." She stated. She watched in fascination as his ears twitched and his head turned to look up at her in a rickety manner. It was something she was going to have to get used to.

She went and grabbed a can of chips from her cupboard and held out a single chip to the Shikon after helping herself to a few.

"Sorry about last night. You didn't do anything wrong." She ate her offered chip after he didn't have much of a reaction to the food. Kagome had sworn she had read somewhere in the manual that Shikons could enjoy meals with their owners in small proportions. She wasn't sure how that mechanism worked, but it was cool feature nonetheless. "I guess it's a good thing you don't talk. You're already pretty freaky for my tastes." Kagome licked the salt from her pointer finger and reached over to InuYasha's mouth to lift his lip. What revealed was a single fang. "I wonder why they sent me such an ethereal model. I'm actually jealous."

She observed as he unraveled from the knee-chest position Kagome had left him in the previous night.

"I'm gonna go to the store now and pick up some t-shirts. Make yourself at home, I guess, InuYasha." Kagome shrugged with an innocent smile. Half the time she wasn't sure if anything she said was processed by him. She was trying to get used to conversing with him—it. He looked so real that she felt bad calling him 'it'. She felt like she was conversing with her family's children when she talked to him—awkward as all hell. Kagome was socially challenged when it came to interacting with children, much less understanding why people talked to their pets. This was a new concept to her all around.

She grabbed her keys from the counter, double checking on InuYasha's position in the living room. She opted out of turning him off.

The Shikon focused on the locking of the door and rose from his seated position. He glanced down at the purple beads around his neck and attempted to lift them but with no such luck. With careful steps he found his way into the guest bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror. He jerked his neck to the side and scratched at the tiny tattoo on his neck.

Kagome was jamming out to one of her favorite songs at a red light, not caring that an older man in the car next to her gave a disapproving shake of his head. Her ultimate goal was to get the entire car to shake, and by the grumpy guy's expression, she was doing just that. She picked out three plain T's for her companion; not having much of a fashion sense when it came to guys. She saw a flash of light at the corner of her eye as she began to drive forward. She turned her head and met eye to eye with golden orbs.

"You got to be fucking kidding me." Kagome put on her hazard lights and pulled over. InuYasha just kept on walking down the street, slightly wobbly in nothing but the basket ball shorts. She hopped out of her car and yelled towards him, hoping it wouldn't be completely drowned out from the traffic. "Um hello! Yoohoo!" That didn't elicit any reaction. " Oh for Christ's sake, SIT!"

Kagome jogged over to InuYasha, who was back on his knees riding out the shock wave of his collar.

"InuYasha, what are you doing!" Kagome tried catching her breath. She wasn't even sure if she was allowed to let him outside since the product had yet to be launched. The look on his face nearly broke her heart. She didn't understand it. "Were you looking for me? I'm right here. Let's go home." She held out a hand to him. She breathed a sigh a relief when he turned on his heel and followed her lead back to her car. She held the door open and he sat down submissively.

"I don't get it, why do you keep trying to go outside?" Kagome whispered to herself, drumming her fingers over the owner's manual at a loss. "And this one supposedly already has a buyer lined up? Why this one? Why him? He's nowhere near ready."

She shifted her eyes over to his figure, now more modest with a shirt covering his sculpted skin. She noticed his hair was slightly tousled from dressing himself and got an idea.

Moments later she came back to the living room with a brush and a comb. She stepped up to him very closely yet his facial expression remained unaltered. She brushed the comb down through his bangs and motioned for him to turn around with a twirl of her finger. Surprisingly, he did.

As she ran the bristles through his silk hair in long strides, she wondered if her hair was even capable of reaching such a length. Memories began to resurface of Kagome's childhood and her years of experience of brushing through her dolls' hair.

In the midst of her brushing, InuYasha looked over his shoulder and stared curiously at the brush. She stopped her actions and presented the brush to him.

"You wanna try?" She smiled with interested brows. He turned to face her as he grabbed the brush and combed down her bangs, catching her off guard. She began to laugh at the gesture. "Not what I had in mind but sure, my hair could use some attention."

Kagome turned for him and stood as straight as she could. She couldn't help the chill that traveled up her spine as he brushed her hair. The act was so simple, but it was an experience she wasn't used to. Nobody aside from her mother had brushed her hair and a handsome humanoid-thing-whatever he was, was treating her like a princess.

Okay, that's a little dramatic. But a girl could dream. She never actually got to that level of comfort of asking the guy from her previous relationship to brush her hair.

"I'm gonna make something to eat. Um, you do what you do best… Which is clearly staring the shit out of my soul." Kagome mumbled the last bit as she awkwardly shuffled to the kitchen, doing her best to avoid eye contact with the Shikon. As much as Urasue gushed about her company's product, so far Kagome didn't see the appeal in it. She had almost clearly remember Urasue staring that Shikons were able to converse with their owner's so why was this model mute? She was slightly disappointed he didn't come with cellphone chargers attached or a GPS unit. So far he was nothing more than a pet she didn't have to feed or clean up after.

Kagome shuffled through the music on her phone and connected it to a portable speaker. She already had the water in the pot getting acquainted with the flame for her meal.

Meanwhile, InuYasha began to scan his surroundings again. Music began to blare from the kitchen like a nightclub. He trailed past the guest bathroom and peaked into Kagome's bedroom. There were clothes scattered throughout the room and the blanket on the bed was scrambled. What caught his interest were a few school notebooks laying beside a small desk. He grabbed a pencil with haste from the desk and flipped to a random page in one of the notebooks. With steady hands he attempted to write something. He grabbed at his hair, seemingly in frustration and discarded the pencil back onto the desk. He retraced his steps back to the living room and followed the sound of vegetables being chopped.

Kagome shamelessly swayed her hips to the beat of the music, paying no mind to the pair of eyes on her now. The water was boiling and awaited the company of the vegetables. Kagome danced the chopping board over to the pot and began to scrape the slices into the water. The microscopic hairs on the back of her neck began to stand and she turned slightly.

There he was.

Kagome jumped, losing the knife from her grip. InuYasha dived down with haste and caught the knife on the bladed end.

"InuYasha—you scared…"Her voice trailed off and they were both looking at his hand clasped over the knife. She took his hand in hers and flipped it over. His facial expression almost matched her own. Seeped in the tiny details of his hand was crimson. "You're bleeding?"

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

 **Next Update: 10/19/18**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kagome began to look around frantically, opting to lead him over to the sink. InuYasha gently placed his other hand on her tensed shoulder and shook his head. She seemed hesitant, but she listened and stayed still. He held up his wounded palm and they watched as the tiny valleys of blood began to dissipate.

"I—huh?" Kagome had never been so baffled in her entire life. "Bleeding? Shikons fucking bleed?" She excused herself past him and reached in one of the cupboards for her unfinished bottle of wine. She took a swig straight from the bottle and offered it to her companion. He obliged, much to her surprise. " _Alright…_ I could use a drinking buddy for sure." Her attention was drawn back to the simmering meal and the bubbles that threatened to burst out of the pot. "As weird as this is, which is an understatement if I've ever heard one, soup's on!" Kagome laughed nervously to herself and focused on getting her plate together. InuYasha took another innocent sip from the bottle she gave him, peeking at her from the corner of his eye.

()()()()()

A few days had passed since the whole 'bleeding and quick healing' event. Kagome had tried to contact Urasue with questions, but she was directly sent to voicemail. Their meet up was in a couple more days, so she figured she could wait. Kagome had no other choice but to brush it off for the time being. She noted what she expected were shortcomings from her Shikon, InuYasha. He didn't speak back to her like the product had claimed, his facial expression was slightly intimidating, and the fact that he's already tried to runaway twice had _really_ put a damper on their relationship.

A knock at her door jolted her from her daydreaming and instantly initiated a panic attack. She wasn't expecting company and she was pretty sure she didn't tell her family or friends where she lived-at least that was the plan. Kagome cracked open the door and gasped.

"Sango?" Kagome said in disbelief. The woman in question smiled briefly at Kagome. They used to be inseparable friends in their college days but as far as Kagome knew, she was moving away with her boyfriend, and that was that. Sango erased the smiley expression and stormed into the apartment past a wide-eyed Kagome.

"I'm gonna kill him this time, Kagome! I swear to god!"

Kagome mouthed the words 'come in' with strong delay and shut the door perplexed at her unexpected guest. Sango was pacing the floor, her ponytail flailing about, trying to keep up with Sango's jerky motions. Kagome darted her eyes to InuYasha who seemed to take interest in the new face in the house. She grimaced; pretty sure it specified in her contract that the beta test was to be kept on the down-low. Sango didn't seem to notice the awkward figure in the corner of the living room in her riled-up rage.

"I'll see if I have any spare liquor for you, give me a second." Kagome excused herself to the kitchen hesitantly. It couldn't be too bad if Sango saw InuYasha, right?

Sango rubbed her fingers over her temple, the figure in her peripheral drew her away from her actions. She gulped and adjusted her posture, fixing her bangs in the process. "Uhm H-hello."

InuYasha disregarded the woman's sudden shyness and followed where Kagome had gone. He nearly bumped into Kagome with the drinks, but she was able to save them. Sango watched the two in interest.

Kagome snapped her fingers and pointed over to the couch. Sango's eyebrows rose when he followed the direction of her fingers obediently and sat on the couch without a word.

"You gonna introduce us or…?" Sango trailed on, accepting the glass from Kagome. Kagome nervously tapped her own glass, trying to think of any way to avoid addressing the elephant in the room.

"W-wouldn't you rather tell me what Miroku did this time?"

Sango blinked a few times, not understanding what the big deal was. Nothing Miroku did would come remotely close to her current infatuation- The golden orbs looking at her from the couch.

Kagome sighed heavily in defeat and sank onto the couch beside InuYasha. She didn't mean to sit so close; her thigh gently brushed against his. Sango bit her lip in a girl-ish manner at the sight; anticipating what Kagome was going to say. She had been waiting for this moment.

"Okay, so I volunteered for this company to try out a product and well…Sango, meet InuYasha."

Sango arched a brow-that wasn't what she pictured Kagome announcing. It only took mere seconds for her eyes to narrow and she gave a knowing grin from ear to ear to Kagome.

"Oh my _, Kagome_ …" Sango puckered her lips and leaned back in a sassy manner. Kagome could have sworn they buried this side of Sango early in their college days. She was wrong.

"Christ Sango, it's not kinky, I swear!" Kagome wanted to punch through her own eye sockets, knowing exactly what Sango was concluding, having seen something similar in a documentary. "Look, its hard to explain, I don't even know if the company's patent is in line, I'm just trying to get a paycheck. Their whole objective is companionship." She practically blurted out in frustration not exactly fond of the house intrusion to begin with, but she was too much of a softy to kick out a friend who was in need.

"Dude… He looks so real. I thought you finally had a rebound lined up." Sango felt brave and went to investigate him closer. Kagome met his eyes, almost as if asking for approval. She gave him an assuring pat on his hand. It hadn't quite been a week yet since she received him. She still thought the whole thing was a little weird herself. For the most part she powered him down whenever she had to do an errand or shower. She had yet to discover everything he could be capable of. As far as she could tell, he seemed to be comfortable around her and trust her thus far. "That is some high-tech shit! Go science." Sango danced.

Kagome smiled, slightly relieved that Sango was more fascinated and less accusing and judgmental like she had feared.

"Is he _fully equipped_?" Sango wiggled her brows. Kagome's jaw dropped, and her cheeks speckled with red.

"Sango! I-I don't know- now that I think about it." Kagome cleared her throat and tried to shift her gaze elsewhere. "I doubt that was the company's intentions."

"Kagome, my sweet innocent Kagome, they wouldn't make their product this bangin' if some said _bangin'_ didn't go down."

"Um hello!? Is Sango anywhere in that body? I feel like I'm talking to Miroku!"

InuYasha just sat innocently between the two women, every so often shifting his eyes from each girl.

"Okay seriously, I _never_ considered that possibility. Besides, this Shikon is technically already spoken for so if that owner wants to do freaky shit, by all means…" Kagome threw her hands up in defeat.

"So, what _have_ you done with him?" Sango asked, slightly disappointed.

"I don't know _what_ to do with him! I'm just supposed to note any glitches. His biggest fault is he isn't programmed for verbal communication. That was their biggest sales pitch." Kagome finished the rest of her drink and set it on the coffee table. She bit her lip and watch Sango perversely check out her product. "Wanna see something cool?" Kagome ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a steak knife. Sango stepped back and watched as Kagome lifted up InuYasha's shirt. Sango bit back a manly grunt of approval at the sight of the impeccable abs. Maintaining uncomfortable eye contact with Sango, Kagome lunged the knife into InuYasha's abdomen. InuYasha flinched but only slightly, looking more irritated than anything else. His expression was almost as puzzled as Sango's who coughed up some of her drink. Kagome withdrew the knife to display the blade dipped in crimson and returned the knife back to the skin next to the first wound.

"Kagome, what the _fuck_ are you doing!"

"Synthetic blood!" Kagome said in a revealing tone. "That's not all, watch!" Kagome pointed at the wounds, her elbows resting on his lap and breasts unashamedly on his knees. They were equally mesmerized as a few minutes passed and the wounds began to heal. Setting aside her silliness, Sango grew worried. Something about this wasn't adding up.

"What's the name of your company you're working for?"

Kagome was a bit taken back by Sango's change in demeanor. "Shikon Corp, or something like that." Sango took a mental note, promising herself she would do research when she got home. She couldn't tame the uneasy feeling she felt. Technology was advanced, but to the point of replicating hemorrhaging? She looked straight into his eyes, hoping that's where the clear answer would be. They were close to soulless. "Oh, I forgot, he's pretty strong too. Watch!"

Kagome leaned back onto the ground and lifted her feet up in the air at 90 degrees.

"InuYasha." She commanded.

Sango watched as he broke the staring contest with her and focused on Kagome. He lifted himself off the couch and wrapped his fingers around her ankles and lifted her in the air, his arm hyperextending over his head. Sango didn't want to know how she discovered that.

"Kagome, I'll be honest with you, I don't have a good feeling about this whole thing. You don't think it's a little suspicious that he bleeds-that he isn't showing wires and circuit boards?"

"Yeah, it's weird, but I figured it was just like an expansion pack. I'm sure if I asked they would give me a blueprint of how they do it." Kagome motioned and InuYasha placed her gently back onto the ground.

"I don't know girl, this sounds fishy. How long do you have to keep it?"

"It's only for a month, I get my first stipend this Friday for his first evaluation."

Sango sighed, she wasn't used to Kagome being the naïve one in their college group. Sango had heard plenty of rumors of sketchy online ads about odd jobs and hoped Kagome didn't fall victim to one.

 **Next Update: 10/26/18 –** _ **I'm**_ **excited for chapter 5, so you should be too.** **( •̀ω•́ )σ**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter inspired by 'Thomas Parkour ft. Biggie' -Seriously. type that in on youtube. Or wait for the cue.**

"Wow I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier." Kagome smiled to herself, breathing in the humid air of the afternoon. InuYasha trailed behind her like a toy soldier, several grocery bags hanging on each arm. Kagome had always enjoyed the scenic walk to the grocery store, but the thought about lugging around her groceries never sounded appealing. That dilemma was fixed with handy Shikon at her side.

InuYasha's peculiar ears were covered by an old baseball cap that Kagome had received from her freshmen orientation. She observed the light sway of his hair as he walked, deciding Sango was right, he was so realistic, the only thing that would really cause some stares is his youkai features. Those weren't really common in the human districts. She stopped in her tracks and peeked over at his face; on her tiptoes she gently pushed the sunglasses she had placed on his face more securely. "I like this." She gleamed, to nobody in particular. She had a happy bounce in her steps as they continued on the sidewalk.

She felt like she was playing House again, like when she was a young girl, except now the role of the husband was fulfilled by a Shikon and not an old pillow that was equal to her height. She was starting to like the muteness of her companion. "You like music, InuYasha?" She popped out her cellphone from her back pocket and tapped on the music app. His expression was indifferent at her question but nonetheless Kagome turned up the volume for the two of them. Her steps grew more playful and she bopped her shoulders up and down. "Come on, InuYasha, you _have_ to know how to dance…" Kagome snapped her fingers to the beat of the music and nudged him on his side with her hip. She caught the small smile spread across his face and she wanted to squeal in happiness at the sight. Was he embarrassed? A memory rushed to Kagome's mind in that instant. She never danced around her ex, she didn't know where all this confidence exploded from. It wasn't like InuYasha was real, so maybe that's why she didn't care. It didn't matter. InuYasha grabbed her wrist in the midst of her dancing, throwing out her unnecessary memories of the past. His attention was over her head and his look of concern alarmed her.

Kagome turned around, they were nearby a school bus drop off. There was a group of highschoolers blocking the path just up ahead, all of them huddled together. The type of high schoolers that probably had to be bribed with money to attend school, not the goodie-two-shoes walking home with their instrument case at their side. One of the taller members seemed to be yelling incoherently from the distant at one of the girls. He pushed her back with brute force into the concrete wall behind her. One of the other guys yelled in protest and that earned him a fist under his chin.

Kagome gasped as she watched the scene unfold. Before she could realize, InuYasha had looped all the grocery bags on Kagome's arms and he was nose to nose with the abuser. Some of the grocery bags slipped off at the overbearing weight, instantly making Kagome feel like shit for making him carry all that, but that was beside the point; how did he get over there so fast?

The next track on Kagome's playlist started and she watched in her frozen state of shock. (AN: cue)

"Who's this mother fucker, Shippo? Can't fight your own fights, but you can sleep with my _bitch_ behind my back?" The teenager spat, seeming to the leading aggravator, never drawing his narrowing eyes away from InuYasha.

The teenager, Shippo, dabbed at his chin to check for blood but he didn't say anything. There was anticipated chuckles from the posy.

"Back the fuck up, faggot." The teen threatened and jutted his fist at InuYasha's abdomen.

Every bone in his hand felt like they had just come into contact with tungsten and he bit back the urge to scream out in agony. -And just like that, that was the 'dingdingding' of the wrestling bell. The other members began to charge for InuYasha, Shippo, and the girl that was slammed into the wall. Instead of fighting back, Shippo crouched down into a ball to try to protect his head.

InuYasha grabbed the wrist of the leader that attempted to punch him and tugged him closer, his expression laced with malice. From Kagome's perspective it looked like InuYasha lifted the boy up horizontally in the air in a single swift motion, the muscles of his arms flexing in perfect harmony. Kagome swore she saw him rotate him a few times around before chucking him over the wall into someone's backyard of the housing complex just on the other side of the concrete wall. One of the other members, most likely the right hand man, attempted to attack InuYasha from behind. InuYasha crossed his arms over his chest to trap the attacker's arms and thrusted all his weight backwards in a freefall onto the sidewalk, knocking out all the air from the guy like an inflated whoopee cusion. By now the remaining members had stopped their own pursuit from shock. InuYasha rotated his neck down and up at the remaining group of students. They could see the lust for blood pulsating in his eyes and nearly shit themselves.

" _Leave_." He growled, anger dripping in his voice.

The remaining teenagers began to disperse in separate directions. Their speed would make any PE teacher proud.

Kagome, still watching from the distance, had her hands clasped together over her lips in astonishment. If her eyes had widened any larger, they would have surely fallen out.

Shippo dusted himself off and grabbed the girl's hand, running off without thanks. He just had one final glance back at his savior. They just hoped not to be reported to the school board or authorities for fighting.

InuYasha was back at Kagome's side now and scooped up the grocery bags back onto his arms with ease, nodding in the direction towards her home.

"Kagome. Let's go." He instructed, his demeanor making a smooth transition back to what it usually was.

()()()()

Kagome managed to stay quiet for the remainder of the walk home. She had shut him down after he so kindly placed the bags of groceries on the counter. Whether it was out of fright or concern, she didn't know. She had to think, and that was hard to do with him consistently watching her with those golden eyes. Her heart was drastically pumping blood through her vessels.

He.

Spoke.

Not to mention body-slammed a highschool kid, heroic considering the circumstances, but unlikely for _his kind_. Kagome didn't think that the list of malfunctions was capable of getting any longer. She considered contacting Urasue briefly but the shock was overbearing.

She finished putting away the groceries and took a few deep breaths. Was it a good idea to power him up? Was he capable of lashing out on her? Then again, she had the emergency SIT feature. Kagome sat in her recliner, her arms folded across her chest and her leg draped over the other. Never would she considered having to deal with something like this in her life.

"InuYasha." She commanded. His ears twitched and she watched as he reanimated back to life. He looked solemn like he usually did. She gave him a challenging look but he made no effort to change his stance. "Could you talk the whole time?" She accused, wasting no time getting to the point.

He shook his head, making her groan and sink into the recliner in frustration. She was looking for a verbal response back, of course. "Why did you intervene?" She continued. She anticipated hearing his voice again but was nervous at the same time.

"Is that not what you wanted me to do, Kagome?" He replied, his voice anything but robotic like she had predicted. It was fitting for his intimidating yet dashing appearance. Kagome felt like icecream left out in the sun. She shooed away her surprise. She could have sworn that _he_ noticed the fight before she did and even if the 'look' in her eyes said 'go to their rescue' -that's insane!

"Don't get snappy with me. Answer my first question."

"It wasn't too long ago, but you seemed content with one-sided conversations." He stated matter of factly. Kagome blushed angrily.

"You're lying about the earlier thing. You went after them on your own free will." She accused again.

"I cannot lie." He said confidently.

Kagome bit her lip in thought and drummed her fingers on the arm rest. "Alright then, do I look fat in this shirt?"

"Yes." He answered a little too quickly for her liking.

"Asshole." She grumbled and watched him smirk. She got up to use the bathroom, leaving him alone in the living room. He took the opportunity to go to the kitchen, he opened one of Kagome's junk drawers and pulled out a pen and the notebook he had attempted to write in before. He glanced back in the direction she had gone. The pen met paper but nothing coherent was written. He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed in frustration.

"You better hope none of those kids call the cops on you or took video. You don't exactly blend in with the crowd." He heard her voice ascending from the hall, so he closed the drawer, the notebook and pen back inside. She changed direction when she saw him in the kitchen now. "But _between you and me_ …" She looked around the room as if someone might be spying on them, " _hooooly shit_ dude you tossed that jerk into someone's backyard, that was _gold_!" Kagome clutched her side, suddenly in pain from the upchuck of hard laughter. He just rose a brow at her; he could have sworn she was angry with him.

 **Next update: 11/02/18**


	6. Chapter 6

Kagome woke up like usual, ridden with morning allergies, phlegm and all. She swore that the apartment above hers had cat hair seeping down into the carpet and somehow wiggled its way into Kagome's place. Her bare feet padded lightly against the floor boards as she sniffled into a tissue. She headed straight for the door that lead to the patio.

InuYasha was perched up on the balcony wall, seemingly lost in his thoughts. His balance in that stance was quite impressive.

"Good morning Spidey." Kagome teased. He glanced back at her briefly. Her nose was still red with irritation and her eyes were still reflating from their sleepy state.

"Good morning." He responded simply, going back to staring to the outside world. Kagome leaned against the door frame and folded her arms.

"Why do you always look like you know something I don't, InuYasha?"

He pondered on the question briefly and slid off the wall he was perched upon.

"I apologize."

Kagome sighed. His voice may have not sounded techy, but his responses were nothing but mundane.

"Anyways, I'm just letting you know that I'm going to run a few errands so it's fine if you do your bird-watching thing, just-don't leave like last time, okay?"

"Are you sure you wouldn't like my company?"

Kagome blinked a few times at that response. She hadn't considered risking taking him out in public again. But then again, that's why he was created. Perhaps if he came with her she wouldn't feel the need to have her thumb over her pepper spray constantly. After all, he so kindly had proven he could kick ass if needed. Let's not forget he was fun to look at.

"I'll go get ready." She smiled.

()()()()()()

"So me and Ayumi met in grade school," Kagome announced, before shoving a huge spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. InuYasha was walking beside her; they had just passed by a national park. For the record, he didn't ask about Ayumi. "I hated her, she hated me…It was the perfect friendship." She said in between bites. The way her cheeks puffed up at the too big of bites was kind of cute.

"Was this a part of your errands?" InuYasha pointed at the chocolate Sundae. Kagome swallowed the melted ice cream and blushed.

"I mean…not necessarily-but…" She stirred the ice cream a little and scooped up some and held the spoon up to his mouth. "Want some?"

There wasn't a being on Earth that could have said no to an innocent face like that. He allowed Kagome to spoon-feed him and the act alone caused her to combust on the inside in delight.

The park was pretty packed, considering the time of day. People had picnics set out, kids were chasing each other with random things scattered in the grass. There was a street band that caught Kagome's attention as well. They were situation in the center of the action of the ambient park.

"I love this song!" Kagome screamed, donating the rest of her sundae to InuYasha whether he wanted it or not.

Kagome joined the few people who had circled around the singers and began snapping her fingers to the beat. InuYasha looked down at the chocolate sundae and shrugged, taking in a mouthful as he watched Kagome lose herself in the music. Unbeknownst to him, his own head was bopping to the beat- or perhaps it was the treat.

Kagome giggled at the sight, making her way back to InuYasha. "I _knew_ you knew how to dance!"

"I hardly call that dancing." He insisted with a raise of his eyebrows, putting his head bopping to a stop and rubbed at the acute onset of discomfort coming from his torso.

Kagome blew up at her bangs and sighed. "We'll work on it another time. Come on!" She laced her arm through his and tugged him away from the dance scene.

Kagome led him to the crosswalk, she was aiming for a store she spotted during their slight intermission at the park. Her chest was pressed firmly against his arm as she clung to him. Something about having him near just screamed 'Don't fuck with me, I got a Shikon and he aint afraid to kick ass.'

Unknown to the duo, a woman had been watching them from afar in aw-shock. She almost missed her opportunity to use the cross-walk had it not been for her co-worker. Her eyes remained glued onto the silver hair until they disappeared into a building.

"Is this your errand?" InuYasha asked, noticing that she finally broke away from him to explore the new building they had entered.

She just gave him a cold stare and continued scraping the hangers across the rack. She was glad that he talking now, but she didn't appreciate being called out.

"I noticed you threw away that shirt you were wearing that night. Is it because of what I said?"

"You _looked_ in my _trash can_?" Kagome's eye was squinting, putting a halt to her browsing of clothes.

"I didn't mean what I said." He continued.

Kagome rolled her eyes and continued her shopping for nothing in particular.

He made no further comment, figuring it was best to just let her be. He scanned the room and found a place to sit amongst other people who also didn't find dragging hangers back and forth across a rack amusing.

Kagome glanced over at him every so often, taking notice of the odd looks he would get. In the bigger provinces, it was more common to see youkais mixed in with humans, and since he looked as such, here it was kind of an odd sight, like a youkai tourist-a brave one at that.

"Or maybe they can tell he's not fucking real, Kagome." Kagome mumbled to herself with a roll of her eyes. But how would they? Even she found it hard to tell. A loud banging on one of the dressing room doors startled her out of her thoughts.

The store manager petulantly unlocked the dressing room door, pulling out an embarrassed couple whose clothes were disheveled.

Kagome recognized both of them and immediately she didn't feel well in the pit of her stomach. Her heart felt like it was being strangled.

"Get the _hell_ out of my store!" The manager barked as the couple ran for the exit, all eyes in the store were on them. Kagome locked eyes with one of them briefly before they escaped. The only sound emanating the room was the background shopping music.

Kagome pressed her fingers against her brow-line in an effort to stop the flow of oncoming tears. Her sundae threatened to come back up from the sudden coughing Kagome had induced.

InuYasha was at her side now. A general look of concern graced his face.

"Kagome? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She didn't sound convincing. She brushed past him and headed for the exit, an obvious storm cloud over her. "Let's just go home."

()()()()()()

InuYasha heard a wail come from the other side of Kagome's bedroom door which his ear was currently pressed up against. He reached for the doorknob, but it was locked.

On the other side, Kagome could not stop crying no matter how hard she tried. Something about angry tears consisted of a higher volume. She was in hero-pose in the middle of her bed. She felt restless and nauseous at the same time.

She heard InuYasha call for her on the other side of the door which only irritated her further. She picked up the nearest pillow and chucked it at the door.

InuYasha jolted back, a growl escaped his lips and his fist clenched. He braced himself before lifting his leg and kicking open the door, busting it off its hinges.

The destruction scared Kagome out of her incontrollable sobbing.

"Did you just _fucking_ break my door?!" Her face was beat red and sloppy with tears. He looked at her like that wasn't the biggest issue right now. Kagome sprung off her bed angrily and reached up in an attempt to press down InuYasha's ears to shut him off. She was not in the mood to deal with artificial intelligence or whatever the hell he was. He grabbed her wrists away from his ears which disgruntled her and forcefully pressed her against his chest.

"Kick me, punch me, scream at me. Whatever helps, Kagome, but I will not leave you in this state alone." He said sternly.

His words confused her swirl of emotions. She contemplated making him subdue with the sit command, but her body disobeyed her and she clung onto him for dear life. Yet again, a fresh batch of tears commenced.

"My best friend." She hiccupped into his chest. " _He's_ with my best friend."

InuYasha's shirt was soaked but he held his stance and gently brushed over Kagome's hair with the palm of his hand.

()()()

Kagome managed to cry herself to sleep, exhaustion taking over more than anything- but that was hours ago. About twenty minutes from her apartment, a figure straddled over another in the middle of the night, nothing seen but a sinister flash of red and blue eyes.

The man on the ground, expectorated blood. His eye was swollen nearly three times its normal size. Chips of his teeth rested beside him on the cool tar of the road.

"Who are you?" He gargled through the viscous blood-saliva mixture spilling from his mouth. "Why did you do this to me?"

The figure stood, rotating his right arm at the elbow. He attempted to speak but held out his pointer finger. He clutched at his stomach and vomited on the ground, chunks of it getting onto the brown-haired victim's shoes. He regained his composure and cleared his throat. That queasy feeling finally went away, it had been there since Kagome fed him that treat.

InuYasha winced at the splatter of his upchuck on the man's shoes, almost wanting to apologize. Clearly that had not been a part of his original plan.

 **Next Update: 11/09/18**


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome woke up to the smell of bacon. Her hair was standing up in angles fit enough for display in an art museum. She took in her surroundings, especially her bedroom door that was lying flat on the ground from when InuYasha kicked it in. She grumbled low in her throat at the memory. She kicked off the covers and proceeded to the kitchen. Kagome watched as InuYasha pierced the slimy meat in the pan with his claw and flipped it over elegantly. Kagome lifted up her lip in disgust. It was too early for this. She treaded through the kitchen, slipping past him to get to the fridge. His gaze didn't tear away from the sizzling bacon.

"You know how to cook now?" Kagome began, twisting off the cap to the milk gallon and tilted her head back for a drink. He simply pointed to the television in the living room. It was on the cooking channel and he seemed to be in sync with it. "You're so fuckin' weird…" she yawned and shoved the milk back into the fridge.

"Like you're one to talk. Take a seat, it will be ready soon." He retorted without missing a beat, attentive to the screen in the living room.

Kagome's head jerked back. Did he just- Kagome took a hesitant seat at the dining table she hardly ever occupied. There were several letters and magazines stacked on the table. She couldn't remember the last time she checked the mail. She shot a glare back in the direction of the kitchen. Maybe she should have finished reading that owner's manual.

Kagome reached over and grabbed her cellphone from the counter, there was a missed call from Urasue, so Kagome listened to the voicemail.

" _Hey Kagome! It's Urasue, hope things are going well with your Shikon. Your first payment should hit sometime today if not already. Our client is flying in town in a couple of days, she's excited to meet you! Call me when you can. Ciao!"*****_

Oh right. Kagome nearly forgot how she got wrapped up in this in the first place and didn't just take in a stray. She opened her bank account on her phone and whistled. Not bad. Not bad at all. It was almost worth a few broken doors in her apartment.

Before the anger could come back to a simmer about the door, InuYasha placed her meal in front of her. More or less, it was an omelet with a side of bacon. Her stomach started to grumble; she was used to drinking milk for breakfast and falling back asleep.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Of course. Are you feeling better?" He asked, taking a seat across from her.

"Oh, you mean about my _friend_ dating my ex behind my back. No! I'm pissed." She took an angry bite of the bacon as if that would prevent the tears from welling up again. "And why the hell did you break my door?!"

"You were unwell. You didn't need to be alone." He said assertively. "Am I wrong?"

Kagome just chewed her food slowly. "I don't know how much their gonna charge me to replace that door, but you better hope an employer will take in your Shikon-ass to pay for it."

He simply watched her eat the remainder of her meal without banter. She pondered over it; she did have a history of panic attacks and what most people would simply blow over, she reacted to it in the extreme. How did he know that she needed someone then? That's what wasn't sitting well with her. She made herself physically ill seeing her ex with her friend. An ex she didn't want to admit she had lingering feeling for. She didn't think her heart could be more strangled than it already had been. He looked straight into her soul no less, caught red-handed screwing her friend in a changing room. As much as she hated to admit it, she was grateful for the bedroom intrusion; she couldn't remember the last time she clung onto someone for emotional support. Kagome had been so used to riding out her waves of pain in solitude.

Once she realized there was nothing left on her plate, she slid off the dining chair and placed the dish in the sink. She shuffled awkwardly back to InuYasha, suddenly feeling inferior for once.

"Thank you for being there for me InuYasha. I'm sorry for snapping at you."

He smiled lightly and nodded.

()()()()

"Okay, so choose your character. You're the blue icon." Kagome Instructed, leaning over to press some buttons on the controller InuYasha was holding. He tried his best to follow her movements. She had set up one of her brother's old gaming systems he gave to her as a housewarming gift. There seemed to be a new system out every six months so there was no chance he would mind parting with one for his beloved sister. She finally had someone to play with.

She had to occupy her mind or else she would linger on the assumptions of the evidence she acquired. Kagome had her favorite socks on and her hair twisted up in a cute sleepover bun. She was determined to have fun, no matter what the circumstances. It was stressful enough looking at job sites.

Kagome sat on the heels of her feet, beside InuYasha, as they both gazed up at the screen. It seemed simple enough, like a board game, only the characters searched for stars and there were minigames scattered throughout.

"Wait, you just stole my star, you can do that?" InuYasha stated, looking at Kagome with a concerned expression.

"We dueled, and you lost." Kagome teased, readjusting herself to get more comfortable. She was in the zone now. "Your star is mine now."

()()()()()

"You definitely cheated." InuYasha accused, chucking the controller from his grasp so hard it actually hit the wall. Kagome was too busy dancing in his face in triumph from winning to notice. "I would have won if it weren't for those damn bonus stars."

Kagome stopped mid-booty shaking. "InuYasha…" She gasped in excitement. "Did you just-"

"Your vulgarity seems to be brushing off on me."

Kagome's bright chortle filled the room and for a second, he was convinced that she had completely dissipated the anger she had felt the night prior.

"Oh! I have a great idea! Stay here!" Kagome grand Jeté'd to her towel closet that stored several board games she used to play with her grandfather before he went senile.

Something caught her eye near her desk in her bedroom. She balanced the board game box on her hip and peered down to investigate the rustled notebooks. There were scribbles within one she had no recollection of making. She rose an eyebrow toward the direction of the living room but brushed it off nonetheless.

As Kagome set up the board game on the dining room table, InuYasha rolled up the controllers for her gaming system and organized the mess. She caught herself staring at him. The way his hair spilled over his shoulder, his concentrated expression, and his posture were all captivating. His amber eyes caught hers in the act and immediately her eye muscles screamed mayday and retreated.

She mentally tried to smack off the pink tinge of her cheeks as he joined her at the table. Her thoughts were entering dangerous territory according to her spectrum.

"Okay, so here's how you play."

()()()()

Kagome picked up a card and the look on her face plastered an unavoidable grin on InuYasha's face. He tried to mask it by pinning his lips in a thin line.

"Fuck this game, fuck the creators, and their families. I'm done." Kagome knocked off the center pieces of the game and stormed to the kitchen for a snack. She felt the ultimate betrayal from her late grandpa, she thought for sure he had taught her all the ins and outs of that game to strategically win each time flawlessly, but somehow InuYasha outwitted her.

InuYasha snickered to himself. It was apparent that both of their attributes were rubbing off on each other. It was kind of sweet.

Kagome walked back with a few cookies in her hand and her cellphone in the other.

"Can you believe this? That bitch tried to reach out to me to apologize for 'being caught'" Kagome showed the text messages to InuYasha.

"Is this the same girl you spoke of...Ayumi?"

"No, Ayumi's not a snake. She's actually the reason I have you. _Eri,_ on the otherhand, clearly doesn't know that ex's are off limits."

InuYasha overlapped his forearms on the table and rested his chin on them, listening to her girl-talk attentively.

Kagome finished her cookies, offering the last to InuYasha, which he accepted and continued. "Me and _Hojo_ had been together for so long, I guess it was easy for me to overlook whether or not my friends had developed feelings for him." She shifted her tune. It was the past now, it didn't matter. "Thanks for keeping me company today, not like you had a choice, but I had fun." She shrugged with a head tilt to the side.

"Anytime." He winked at her. Every muscle in Kagome's body tensed in that instant. Like Medusa, that wink was powerful enough to turn her into stone. She didn't know what the hell was happening to her, but she didn't like it.

 **Next Update: 11/16/18**


	8. Chapter 8

gray clouds lingered over the skies, dispelling light speckles of rain strong enough to elicit a lethargic mood in Kagome. She was nestled on the couch, with a blanket over her head, eating away at a cooking bowl full of cereal with a ladle. She had long ago given up finding something decent to watch on TV, so she settled for the news. She always found it funny when the reporters stared blankly at the camera as they waited for their que to speak.

" _Thank you, Shiori_. … _Local man, Akitoki Hojo, still in search of his attacker…."_

"Holy shit." Kagome scooped up some more cereal into her mouth, her eyes now glued to the screen. It wasn't often she saw someone she knew on the news. Talk about a gift sent from heaven.

"… _We have just received permission to release the Forensic artist's work on the perpetrator..."_

Once the drawing was revealed, Kagome nearly inhaled her cereal, causing it to sneak past her epiglottis. She began to cough profusely.

InuYasha skidded into the living room, alarmed by the sound of Kagome's choking. What he had been up to prior was beyond her.

"Kagome, are you alright?" He knelt beside her, deciding whether or not to just jut his fist above her navel.

Kagome finally overcame the tickle in her throat and just stared at him in horror. He tried patiently waiting for her to say anything but the tension was almost too much for even him.

" _You_ went after _Hojo!?"_ She said finally, no longer having an appetite for a huge-ass serving of cereal.

"Who?" He said lamely, making Kagome narrow her eyes. Kagome reached for the remote and pressed the rewind button. She always thought that was a stupid feature that she was paying extra for, but now this was the perfect opportunity to use it. She paused at the forensic portrait revealed on the screen.

"You're gonna sit here and tell me that _that_ isn't you?" Kagome snapped her fingers at the TV screen. She felt like she was scolding a dog that just shit on her carpet.

InuYasha pierced his lips and examined the TV screen closely. The resemblance _was_ uncanny. The forensic artist was quite talented.

"How the…When the… I never told you- "Kagome's thoughts were seemingly all over the place. She didn't know where to begin.

"That's just a drawing, Kagome." He tried to reassure, relaxing his shoulders now that Kagome was no longer in danger of choking.

"-Of your bitch-ass face!" Kagome barked back hysterically. "You act like there's people in this city who resemble you. Oh my fucking god. He's gonna think I sent you after him!" Kagome was pacing the room now. "It's only a matter of time before he puts two and two together."

"He seems dense. I don't think he will." InuYasha smirked, quitting the act of innocence.

Kagome was ready to pull her hair out. Firstly, she couldn't believe she choked on cereal, who did that?-but whatever. Kagome picked up her bowl from beside the couch to place inside the sink.

"What the hell is with you and fighting people? This is twice now!" She vigorously scrubbed at her bowl with a soapy sponge. She was at her wits end. She didn't know she was beta-testing a bounty hunter. "Not to mention you leaving whenever you so please."

"So you're not happy I did it?" He challenged with a raised brow.

Kagome peered over at InuYasha in bewilderment from the kitchen. She wasn't quite sure how to answer that considering the circumstances. In a sadistic way she kind of felt triumph seeing Hojo damaged on par with her emotional damage he bestowed onto her but right now her thoughts were anything but organized and rational.

"Your sadness over this one person radiated far beyond my comprehension. I only did what I deemed suitable for a companion to do." He continued.

Some of the things InuYasha said never failed to baffle Kagome. Was he really trying to emulate a father figure or an older brother? It was sweet nonetheless but totally out of the question given the event with the high schoolers. It was too early for Kagome to decide what her best course of action was.

"I fixed your door, by the way. I used the tool box in your laundry room." He stated, hoping that would ease the internal screaming written on her face.

" _I own a tool box_?" Kagome whispered to herself, her face a look of disgust. Her mind was processing a thousand thoughts a second, but her phone disrupted them. She glanced at it; it was a reminder that she had a lunch date with Urasue. "Ah, fuck. I gotta get ready _. This_ isn't over." Kagome stormed passed InuYasha, jutting her fingers towards his eyes as she went to get ready.

()()()()

Despite the objection in his eyes, Kagome powered down InuYasha before she left. She felt badly about it, but she didn't want him going after any other old long forgotten exs from her past someway, somehow. She had her notes lying on the passenger seat and she utilized the car ride to the local café to gather her thoughts. Her reading comprehension was probably less than satisfactory, but she was almost positive that his strange behavior was not specified anywhere in the instructor's manual.

Kagome took a deep breath before exiting her vehicle. Her notes were clutched tightly against her chest, hoping that they were sufficient enough. Urasue waved Kagome down; she was already seated at a table with a coffee cup up to her nose.

"It's nice to see you Kagome, how are you?" Urasue asked, as Kagome made herself comfortable on the opposite side of the booth.

Kagome opted for her professional, automated response. "I'm doing well, how are you?"

"I'm wonderful. The weather's been lovely these past couple of days. I ordered you a coffee already, hope that's alright."

Kagome smiled and nodded, pushing one of the extra coffee mugs towards herself.

Before Kagome could ask who the extra cup belonged to, Urasue scooted over as a lady with elegant stature approached and joined at the table.

"Oh, Kagome! This is _Kikyo!_ She flew in town to sign some paperwork for me. I thought it'd be nice if you two met."

The woman, Kikyo, extended out her hand to shake Kagome's. Her raven bangs lightly caressed her skin above the lashes and her hair was of a remarkable length. If Kagome had to guess, she had to be a decade older than herself. From her posture to her expression, she was wise beyond anyone who could be in their twenties.

"Nice to meet you, Kikyo." Kagome smiled, meeting her offered hand.

"Kagome is one of our beta-testers." Urasue explained; Kikyo nodded in understanding. Urasue shifted her gaze towards Kagome. "How have things been with the Shikon?"

' _Where do I begin._ ' Kagome inwardly winced and bit down on her teeth to force a smile.

"Fine." Kagome settled on, considering the potential buyer and not wanting to chase them away. It was more so due that the attention was on her and she panicked. "Slight delay in the vocals but those seem to be running smoothly now."

" _Really_? I'll make note of that." Urasue furrowed her brows and flicked open her own set of notes.

"May I see the model?" Kikyo requested politely. Her voice was delicate and rich. Urasue nodded dramatically and flipped through one of the binders she brought along. She stopped once she reached InuYasha's portfolio.

"Okay, so Approx. 179 cm. male musculature and anatomy. Silver hair, golden eyes. Compatibility was a 95% for your needs."

Kikyo studied the images carefully. Kagome sipped at her coffee during the awkward silence.

"Can I make any custom changes after my down payment?" Kiyko asked, her voice laced with concern.

Ursasue seemed a bit taken aback considering the 95% compatibility. "What were you thinking?"

"He's perfect besides the ears. I don't like them." She stated unashamedly, certainly never having a history of purchasing anything that wasn't to her standards.

Kagome wanted to spit out her coffee into Kikyo's face out of utter shock, but she was surrounded by classy people, so she didn't. If her opinion mattered at all in the slightest, she would say that was one of his best assets!

"W-we can look into that the closer the launch date comes." Urasue promised.

"Excellent." Kikyo smiled genuinely for the first time.

()()()()

A couple of refilled coffees later, Kikyo excused herself from the meeting once all her documents were filled out. She didn't feel it was necessary to stick around and chat. Kagome and Urasue watched her through the window of the café as she stepped into her spotless luxury rental car. Kagome took note of the handicapped placard and lifted a brow at Urasue. She had seemed like a flawless lady.

"Ah, Lady Kikyo, my dear, is seeking a Shikon per psychiatrist's referral." Urasue didn't see the harm in sharing that, considering that Kagome would probably never see her again. Plus, she was always first in line when it came to gossip. "She has been clinically diagnosed with SPD, among other things."

"Which is….?"

"Sadistic personality disorder. Lady Kikyo is willing to pay a hella amount of cash by any means necessary to satisfy her disorder without harming the public or facing legality issues. Kagome, our clients _will_ come from all walks of life." She emphasized in excitement.

Kagome tried her absolute hardest to swallow the look of shock on her face.

' _Holy. Fucking. Shit.'_

Kagome wished she didn't question the handicap placard, the things she was picturing now was mildly disturbing.

"So," Ursasue clapped her hands together. "-any more notes to share with me til our next visit?" Urasue seemed oblivious to Kagome's loss of color in her face. Kagome wanted nothing more than to go home and coddle her poor Shikon for what was to come for him.

' _My poor baby_.' She would be lying if she said she hadn't grown _a little_ attached to him.

 **Next update: 11/23/18**


	9. Chapter 9

Kagome peered over the steaming bowl of ramen in front of her like a psychotic giant peeking over a mountain at its prey. She dramatically pulled apart her chopsticks. Across from her, at the dining table, was InuYasha with his own bowl of ramen in front of him.

"Why are we doing this again?" He asked politely, slightly afraid at what was to commence.

"Cause races are exhilarating. You scared?" She puckered her lips at him accusingly.

"Not in the slightest." He smirked, adjusting the chopsticks in his grasp.

They waited for the app on Kagome's phone to chime and the gluttony began. They were seated at a small hole in the wall café near Kagome's old job. She was hopeful that enough time passed since the news report that bringing out InuYasha in public would be fine. She felt bad keeping him cooped up all day while she went out galivanting on her own adventures. She was growing more and more fond of his company as the days went on. He was probably the closest she would get to a nonjudgmental friend.

She introduced copious servings of noodles to her mouth, determined to crush her Shikon in the eating challenge. Kagome brought the bowl up to her face to slurp up the broth, completely obstructing her face from InuYasha.

"Done!" Kagome knocked down the bowl onto the table, her cheeks flushed now from the warm ramen raising her body temperature. She met InuYasha's unamused stare, his palm resting under his chin and his elbow on the table.

"It's about time."

Kagome leapt out of her chair to glimpse at InuYasha's bowl; it was completely empty. There was no way she lost!

"Bullshit, where did you hide it?" Kagome started looking under the table, much to his amusement. "Knowing you, you probably chucked it across the room when I wasn't looking."

"Admit that you're just slow, Kagome." He simply grinned, extending his arm out to brush her bottom lip of excess broth. The gesture took Kagome by surprise but she opted to suppressing it like she often did.

"How the hell do you even take in food-now that I think about it. Your abdomen must be equipped with a furnace."

A woman shyly approached their secluded table. "U-uhm, excuse me."

InuYasha and Kagome both turned simultaneously. The woman before them was wearing a traditional summer yukata and appeared middle-aged but wore it well nonetheless. Her hair was like satin and was nearly floor-length, making Kagome feel like she had a buzzcut in comparison. Her expression was soft but hesitant, her rosy lips deciding what to say next.

The woman met eyes with InuYasha and her eyes began to well up with tears despite her wishes. She clutched the fabric near her chest and used her sleeve to soak up any oncoming tears.

"I-I'm so sorry." She sighed, feeling slightly bashful.

"No, no, you're okay." Kagome urged, her face laced with concern for the woman eagerly anticipating why the woman had come over in the first place.

"This is going to sound a little insane, but I first saw you at the shopping district a few days ago," She began, referring to InuYasha, trying hard to organize her thoughts in a comprehensible way. "and…you see…you resemble my late son, so naturally when I saw you my heart nearly stopped beating."

Kagome's heart seemingly sunk to her stomach and her own eyes threatened to unleash the flood gates.

"I know it's silly," The woman continued, "but seeing you felt like a godsend and a 'one last hello to my son' so I mustered up the courage to-I…I'm sorry to have disturbed you two." She cut herself off, knowing full well she must have sounded insane to the strangers.

Kagome reached out and clasped the woman's hand between hers for comfort.

"Would you like to join us? I'm Kagome. This is InuYasha. I'd love to hear your story." She offered a sympathetic smile.

InuYasha remained silent but was attentive to the woman that sat across from him on Kagome's side of the table. She tried her best to not just stare at InuYasha the entire time respectfully.

"My name is Izayoi. It's nice to meet you both." Izayoi reached into her sleeve and pulled out a coin purse. She delicately loosened the knot tied and inside lay a single polaroid photo. She examined it for herself first and smiled sadly, then placed it on the table for Kagome and InuYasha to see. "This is my son. I lost him just last year."

Kagome and InuYasha both leaned forward to examine the polaroid and Kagome instantly got chills.

She glanced at InuYasha and then back at the photo. It was a portrait of a young man, a photo taken beyond his knowledge that captured genuine bliss and happiness. Despite the obvious long black tresses of his hair he looked nearly identical to InuYasha in Kagome's eyes.

"Holy shit-InuYasha you really _do_ look just like him." Kagome said in astonishment. Izayoi seemed relieved that Kagome agreed with her.

"I was a single mother trying to get my son through college. And as if that didn't already cost and arm and leg, my own medical bills constantly snuck up on me. He was the sweetest son a mother could ever ask for. Despite trying to mask my troubles, he saw right through me and took on two jobs in addition to school to help me with my ongoing medical treatments. He was on break for winter and had planned to come visit me. He spotted a woman on the highway attempting to push her broken down vehicle onto the dirt road. A driver, not paying attention, hit them at full speed. I'd like to think my son was sent there in order to protect that woman who unknowingly at the time, was with child." Izayoi caressed the polaroid with her thumb as she reminisced. This was the first time she was able to retell her son's story without balling.

Kagome pulled at the skin near her teat ducts to prevent the production of tears from falling. She had no words. She never thought hearing a story from a stranger would evoke such deep feelings and heart ache.

"He seems like he was a very honorable man." InuYasha offered, breaking the viscous silence in the air.

Izayoi nodded, dabbing at her own eyes. "This could just be my mind playing tricks on me, but you sort of sound similar to him. I'm really happy I got to meet you. Even if only for a moment, I can imagine I'm sitting with him once more."

"What was his name?" Kagome asked.

"Aisha. His father named him before he went off to war. That was the last time either of us saw him."

Izayoi began to stand, shoving her coin purse back safely into her sleeve. "I must be going. It was very generous of you to allow me and sit and chat for a short while."

InuYasha and Kagome both tensed up at the usage of the word 'sit'-the forbidden word, but they were in the clear. They followed suit and pushed their chairs in to leave the café as well.

"This might be coming out of left field, but may I hug you goodbye?" Izayoi requested.

"He would be more than happy." Kagome assured, despite the reluctance forming on InuYasha's face.

Kagome watched the bittersweet moment. Izayoi had closed her eyes, imaging she was standing beside her son once more and embraced InuYasha.

InuYasha met eyes with Kagome, she mouthed the words 'thank you' to him with a sad smile. She could have sworn his eyes flashed brown momentarily and she stood agape. The woman pulled away from InuYasha wishing she could freeze time forever.

()()()()

Kagome locked the front door of her apartment and turned around and braced it dramatically.

"Alright seriously, what the fuck is going on." She asked, looking up at the ceiling. She had wanted to go ballistic about the resemblance factor at the café, but she insisted she was more mature than that.

"I have to show you something." InuYasha eagerly dragged Kagome by the hand over to the kitchen. She waited impatiently as he pulled out the notebook he had taken from her bedroom, from the drawer. "Since I first arrived, I _felt_ as though my ability to write had delayed just as my speech did."

Kagome had a brow raised, not sure what he was going on about. He pointed down at the open notebook aggressively. Written in the center was 'izayoi' in hiragana. If it was some elaborate magic trick he pulled before they left for the café, she did not find it amusing.

"I must _know_ that woman, right I don't know how or why, but I felt compelled to write that name nonetheless. The minute she said Izayoi-"

"Wait, wait, are you insinuating that you're Aisha?" Kagome chuckled, running her hands through her hair.

"I'm just as lost as you are, Kagome." He said defensively, his eyebrows narrowing.

"You came to me in a fucking crate." She reminded, emphasizing each word. She thought for a moment, attempting to cool down from the shock. Nothing about his expression insisted that any of this was a joke on her. The resemblance clearly left him puzzled as well. She felt bad for some-what snapping at him, he was clearly in the same boat she was in. She softened her face, trying to gather her thoughts. "Okay, do I think you're _Aisha?_ No. Do I think you could have somehow been modeled after him, abso-fucking-lutely."

But if that was the case, why? Was it merely just coincidence? Kagome's Shikon poked at her curiosity more and more each day.

 **AN: For those that watched the Final Act in Dub, how did you feel about Kagome's voice? Cause I was** **not** **prepared for that when I went to re-watch all the episodes. LOL**

 **Anyways, Next Update: 11/30/18**


	10. Chapter 10

Kagome emerged from her humid bathroom after blow drying her hair. A gush of cold, fresh air invaded her nostrils and she sighed happily. She had a long, thoughtful shower contemplating her current living situation. The day prior sure had thrown her for a loop and she had went back and forth between calling Sango but opted out of it. The situation was too weird to get other people involved. More than likely they were overacting over a mere coincidence. She ran her hands through her fluffy hair fresh from the dryer, checking for any damp spots as she walked to the living room. She glanced over at InuYasha, slumped slightly in front of the couch with his eyes closed. She pierced her lips and walked over to him curiously.

"Are you supposed to wash these things' hair?" She whispered to herself, placing her hands on her knees and inspecting the lifeless Shikon. She picked up a handful of his florescent white hair from behind and sniffed. Her face lit up in surprise. "Wow it doesn't smell at all. I guess that makes sense." She lingered for a few moments, feeling the silky strands between her thumbs. She sat back to back with him, her awkward side of her tingling. She leaned back with a guilty look on her face and wrapped herself in his hair. "It's like a blanket." She whispered again, glad she lived alone so nobody could judge her.

"Kagome, what the hell are you doing?" InuYasha asked without moving, an obvious smile on his face with his words.

Every muscle fiber in Kagome's body painfully tensed up and her eyes nearly snapped the connection with the optic nerve.

"If you wanted to cuddle, all you had to do was say so." InuYasha chuckled, fixing his posture and looking over his shoulder at her. She wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Mother fu-I thought I turned you off!" She jumped back, her face nearly twenty degrees warmer than it had been. "Were you just pretending!?"

"Perhaps your touch was enough to turn me on?" He tried to conclude.

"Okay, don't say that sentence again." Kagome put her hands in her face in embarrassment though he didn't seem to understand why.

"Your face is really flushed." He pointed out, tilting his head as if to get a better look.

"Yeah, it does that." She grumbled. InuYasha rotated himself away from her and adjusted his posture. His hair was long enough to lightly dust the carpet.

"I was created for you, right? Then… if you want to play with my hair, I have no objection to it."

His words were kind and made her heart thrash against the walls protecting it. She didn't think she was susceptible for falling for her beta-project. Actually, that sounded like her completely the more she thought about it. She was a fool when it came to falling in love with anyone that was remotely nice to her. Everything about him made her wish he was real. He had made her so happy since his arrival, she hadn't noticed it before. Her phone was laced with recent searches of objectaphilia and if she was clinically ill to be having such thoughts. Even so, Sango found him attractive as well. But he wasn't hers to begin with, and that's what killed her slightly, knowing this bond they had formed was only temporary.

Kagome bravely scooted closer to him on her knees, she gently pushed his hair over one of his shoulders and rested her head on his back. He smiled softly and reached over to meet her hand resting on his shoulder.

"You weren't created for me, I was merely hired to test you for your true owner." She admitted sadly. It felt like just yesterday she unwrapped him like a Christmas present.

She may have imagined it, but she felt his shoulders slump slightly.

"I see. Have you met them?"

Kagome bit down on her lip and pondered on what to say. She didn't want to worry him; was it possible to worry him? "She's very pretty. I can only hope you two will click as well as me and you do. You keep me on my toes for sure, but maybe it was the excitement in my life I was missing."

Kagome drew herself back to the event that happened with the mysterious woman Izayoi. For a split second she could have sworn she saw his eyes shift from gold to brown when he touched Izayoi. She had overcome her initial shock- which was kinda easy considering she's been living with a high-tech humanoid that towered over her. If she could handle that, she could handle anything.

"Do you think… anything about me, InuYasha?" Kagome asked. "Not of me- like…uh." She didn't understand why it was hard to find words around him sometimes.

"I think you're very kind and could light up a room, but you also seem to have a barrier around you that you don't want others seeing. My memory per se, began the first day I met you- if that's what you're asking?"

He shuffled around again to meet eyes with her, knowing that was going to strike a nerve in her.

"Barrier? What do you mean?" She scoffed, slightly disappointed he moved away, she had gotten comfortable.

"You don't talk about family- you have no family portraits up. You don't go out with friends." He counted on clawed fingers.

He watched in fascination as a vein popped up on her forehead. She stood up with her hands on her hips. How dare he be programmed with attention to detail.

"Nobody asked you." She curled her lips into a devious grin. " _InuYasha…."_ It had been a while- and she nearly forgot about the feature.

He returned the sly smirk on her face. "Wouldn't do that if I were you, sweetheart." Knowing what she had anticipated. It really didn't take much to tick her off.

"Sit."

He growled through the electric shock signaled in his necklace but instantaneously made the split decision to reach out and grab Kagome's ankle delivering the flow of the shock to her as well. A very unattractive noise came from Kagome and she tried to pull her ankle free but fell backwards on her ass.

"Ha!" InuYasha triumphed in her face.

"You son of a bitch." Kagome slapped away his hands and wrestled him until she found the tops of his ears and powered him down. It reminded her of the time she had to put her little brother in his place for snooping through her stuff when they were younger. InuYasha slumped over peacefully onto his side, any trace of audaciousness had faded. Exhausted, Kagome dusted herself off and altered between her right and left middle finger vigorously in InuYasha's face as he slumbered. "I take back all mushy thoughts of you prior to this! I win, motherfucker."

()()()()

It wasn't long before Kagome grew bored and literally kicked InuYasha back on, inviting him to watch a movie with her in her room. He obliged with no reluctance, and they carried on as if they hadn't purposely induced an electric shock to each other.

They were both lying on their stomachs, looking up at the tv screen in her bedroom while they ate popcorn. They also took turns saying "that's you" whenever an ugly character came on the screen.

Kagome turned her head, watching as InuYasha ate one piece of popcorn at a time. She giggled at the sight.

"Does that even taste like anything to you?"

He examined the popcorn between his claws and shrugged. He really had only been consuming it since she was. Kagome reached over for her phone on her nightstand and pulled up the search engine.

"I have a theory about Izayoi." She started, clearly losing interest in their movie as she still had a mystery to solve. InuYasha simply waited for her to continue.

"What if she was also a beta-tester and that's why you wrote her name and they modeled you after her son?"

InuYasha glued his eyes back to the tv and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "Let me know when you have a theory that isn't dumb as shit."

Kagome smacked a pillow on the back of his head, causing his hair to stray in all kinds of directions. He didn't seem phased though.

He did have a point, and she felt like a proud mama that he had picked up her potty mouth. Izayoi didn't recognize InuYasha, she merely said he resembled her late son and that made her happy to see him. Even so, how did InuYasha foreshadow encountering Izayoi if they had not already met prior?

Kagome attempted to do a search on Aisha, but she didn't have much of a lead, having failed on retrieving a last name.

"Try typing in Izayoi too." InuYasha suggested, looking over her shoulder. Kagome darted a glare at him, so he retreated and quickly looked back at the movie trying to stifle a smirk. He seemed to get enjoyment out of annoying her.

"No shit." She rolled her eyes as if it was obvious that was her next move. Ayumi was better at this investigation stuff than she was by a long shot. To her surprise, she actually came across some valuable links. "Well, she wasn't lying. Here's his obituary." She said after reading a few lines. "Takahashi, Aisha. Is that ringing any bells for you?"

InuYasha shook his head.

"Okay, when you hugged her, did you _feel_ anything…?" Kagome dragged on. She prayed to every god she could think of that he wouldn't retort something stupid back.

"It was very brief. I felt a twisting in my chest- it's hard to explain. That with a combination of an electric jolt like the necklace emits." His face was serious, trying to remember the events at the café more precisely.

"Okay hear me out. What if we find where Aisha was buried and see if that evokes anything for you. Cause touching Izayoi clearly did."

InuYasha began to comedically inch his head away from Kagome and back at the television screen.

"Goddammit, I'm serious!" She pulled at the forelocks of his hair, so he would look back at her.

"Okay woman _, jesus_. How are we going to do that?"

She stared at her phone and puckered her lips. That was a good question, but her heart was racing, and she knew she had to have been closer to finding something out.

 **Next Update: 12/7/18**


	11. Chapter 11

Kagome had little less than a week to solve the mystery of her Shikon- if some malicious scheme was going on beneath her nose, she had to come up with evidence quick before InuYasha was packaged up and shipped to his obscene owner. But if college had taught her anything, confronting Urasue was not the best approach; she had to be smart about it. She didn't exactly know what she was dealing with- if anything for that matter. She could have turned her cheek the other way, but something about InuYasha tugged at her heart like a shelter puppy in a glass window. She would be damned if she was a beta for some trafficking scheme.

"So how do you politely say, hi ma'am, where is your son buried, we would like to see if his lasting energy evokes any unsolicited memories in my Shikon." Kagome asked, stationed at the dining table with her well-used laptop. InuYasha stood beside her, his hand resting on the back of her chair and the other under his chin. They exchanged a knowing look at each other and noticeably cringed.

The previous night had been the first she had fallen asleep and he was still on the bed. When she had stirred awake, he seemingly had been pretending to sleep for her sake so it wasn't 'weird as shit' as she liked to say. She appreciated the thought, nonetheless. They had reached a new level of comfort.

"You're going to pay money to access that woman's contact information online. That sounds a little…"

Kagome reached up from behind her and pinched InuYasha's lips shut without a change of expression.

"Relax, this isn't the weirdest thing I've ever done." She tried to reassure. Her hand relaxed from his lips and brushed against the necklace he was equipped with when he first arrived. She put a halt to her investigation and shuffled around in her chair to inspect him.

"Hey, what do you think will happen if we take off your necklace?"

InuYasha looked down at the necklace, not thinking much of it, he had forgotten he was wearing it in all honesty.

"What do you mean?"

"Your manual said it was highly suggested to keep the necklace on for at least ninety days of use. I'm kinda curious if you'll go ape shit if I take it off." Kagome snickered at the thought.

"That doesn't sound safe for you." He concluded. "What if I attack you or something? We don't know what could happen."

Kagome laughed lightly at his concern. She highly doubted that if that had been the case, the necklace wouldn't be accessible to take off. Most likely it wasn't that important. Maybe it really was just a safety mechanism.

Kagome slipped out of her chair and stood before him. InuYasha just stood erect awkwardly, not thinking it was the best idea to take off the necklace. In one swift motion she lifted the necklace off his head and looped his hair out of it. For a split second, they waited for something to happen, just staring back at each other.

"How do you fe—aw fuck." She instantly regretted her decision and cursed having such a curious mind.

Kagome watched the color from InuYasha's face drain and his eyes slightly glaze over. She put out her hands onto his chest, but the weight was overbearing and his limp body sent them both to the ground.

"Jesus Christ, he weighs more than he looks!" Kagome coughed, trying to breathe with the dead weight on her. Luckily her knees buckled and she folded like a chair onto the ground and wasn't completely knocked over like a bowling pin. She blushed ferociously at the placement of his face resting comfortably from the shock absorbers that were her breasts. She lied there for a few moments, content with the position but wouldn't openly admit it. She couldn't remember the last time she had got any action, so an incident like this was overwhelming.

Deciding she was finished being a creep, she used her back muscles and the help of her thigh muscles to roll him over. She stretched her back and let her lungs reflate before grabbing the necklace. She placed the necklace back on his head, giving his ears a quick caress on the way; she couldn't resist. He didn't instantly pop back to life like she was half expecting.

"InuYasha." She called clearly. His ears twitched at his name and his eyes flickered back on, similar to when she had first brought him to life. "Don't tell me that reset your fucking factory settings." She sighed, simultaneously freaking out. She thought she had made so much progress on him. "InuYasha, you remember me, right?"

InuYasha gave her a look, oblivious he went completely flaccid moments ago. "Yeah. What happened?"

Kagome sighed happy and hugged him, much to his surprise.

()()()()()

"So, if that thing is supposed to be some high-tech battery pack for you, that doesn't make sense why I _could_ take it off after ninety days." Kagome thought out-loud as she walked alongside InuYasha outside of the shopping mall. Should she have been better utilizing her time better by looking for a more stable job? Probably.

"Your guess is as good as mine. We should probably just leave it on."

"Well, well, well little brother, fancy seeing you here." A voice called from behind the couple. Kagome and InuYasha exchanged a look and both turned around. "Who on _Earth_ payed for _your_ bail?" He scoffed.

The mysterious man was seated at a bench, accompanied with several shopping bags. His hair was similar to InuYasha's both in color and beauty and was intrinsically braided over his shoulder. He was ten times better dressed than Kagome and InuYasha.

"I'm sorry?" Kagome asked confused. InuYasha didn't say anything but his face expressed that he had his guard up.

The man crossed one leg over the other and leaned forward to get a better look at InuYasha. Kagome took notice of his captivating eye color and claws that gently grazed his chin. She didn't think InuYasha's characteristics were possible.

"My apologies. Clearly I've made a mistake." Although he said it aloud, he didn't seem entirely convinced the more he gandered at InuYasha. InuYasha didn't return any signs of recognition.

Before the awkward silence could commence, a petite girl gasped in a high pithed tone and dropped her bags onto the ground from behind InuYasha and Kagome.

"Uncle!?"

The man on the bench looked insanely uncomfortable and panicked. "Rin, no—"

"Uncle!" The girl squealed and rushed into InuYasha's legs to hug them.

"Rin its not-" The man planted his hands over his face in frustration. It was going to take years to overcome the amount of embarrassment he felt.

The small girl pulled back innocently as she gazed up at InuYasha. She twiddled with her fingers nervously. "I'm sorry Sesshy, I thought-"

InuYasha seem discombobulated when the young girl had hugged him. He brought his hand to his temple in pain.

"Are you okay, InuYasha?" Kagome asked. The group watched as his eyes momentarily flashed from red and blue back to their amber tone.

The man on the bench, obviously of youkai stature, growled and stood up and aggressively made his way over to InuYasha face to face reaching for his neck with his anticipating hand.

"Drop the act. It _is_ you." He growled. "Hiding outside of the youkai district with a new name. Pathetic."

"I'm sorry- I don't know what you're talking about it." InuYasha said flustered, still trying to overcome the pain he felt in his head.

"Hey! Get your hands off him!" Kagome pushed the man back and stood in front of InuYasha protectively; her heart was pounding. The odds of someone else in this province recognizing InuYasha was baffling her to no end. "He isn't who either of you think he is, _trust me!"_

"Sesshoumaru." InuYasha said confidently. "That's your name, isn't it?"

Kagome shifted back and forth between the two of them. She somehow felt out of the loop now.

"So, you _do_ know him?" Kagome asked.

"I wrote his name down. So, I know about as much as I know Izayoi. Not much."

"What the fuck is going on, what is wrong with you?" Sesshoumaru asked impatiently.

"Sesshy…" Rin frowned, tugging on his pants. "You broke your promise." She whispered, disappointed that he had cursed in front of her.

A limo pulled up to the curb in that instant. The driver stepped out and gallantly walked over to the bunch.

"Ah, did we make new friends, Lord Sesshoumaru?" He said like a proud father. "Will they be attending tonight's show?"

Sesshoumaru darted a deathly glare at his chauffeur. The chauffeur threw his hands up in apology and collected the shopping bags to put in the limo.

"If you want to continue playing the fool, fine by me. Rin, let's go." Sesshomaru commanded, getting into the limo.

Rin tugged at Kagome's skirt, so Kagome knelt down to be eye level with her.

"His first reaction to everything is to blow up, but tonight he might calm down to talk more. I know that's my uncle, he just doesn't seem to remember." Rin gave Kagome a business card and shrugged. "I gotta go now, before he gets more mad." She whispered with a smile.

Kagome and InuYasha watched as the limo drove away. "He's right though. None of us know what the fuck is going on."

InuYasha looked sad, and the image broke Kagome's heart. She reached and grabbed his hand for comfort.

"I want to remember, if _there is anything to_ remember. If I've lost my sense of personal identity—I-."

Kagome grabbed his chin. "Look at me. I'm not giving up on you. We're gonna figure this out together. You are safe."

InuYasha pulled Kagome into an embrace and buried his nose in her hair. He was glad and so, so lucky that he had her.

 **Next Update: 12/14/18**


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you sure this is the place?" InuYasha asked with uncertainty as he and Kagome stared up at the blaring lights of a digital banner atop one of the fancier looking buildings in Tokyo. Kagome smacked her lips together, looking down at the address written on the card the little girl had given her earlier that day. It was definitely the right place. Kagome nonchalantly made her way to the front doors only to be halted by the bouncer that her vision had somehow ignored.

"Are you two on the guest list?" He muttered, obviously having said this multiple times in one night. His biceps were nearly ripping through his much too small shirt and had a very intimidating stance. Kagome held out the notecard to show him; not sure if it would help.

"We were invited by the little girl-"Kagome paused trying to remember her name.

"Rin." InuYasha finished with a raised brow at Kagome. It really wasn't that hard of a name to finish so he figured she was nervous.

The bouncer stared down the two as if trying to catch them in a white lie. Without breaking the awkward eye contact, he reached for the walkie-talkie clipped to his uniform.

"Yo Rin, you invite two yahoos to the show tonight?" The bouncer asked into the speaker. Kagome narrowed her eyes when he wasn't looking.

The walkie-talkie lit up with a familiar voice from earlier. "Yep, let 'em in, Suikotsu."

The second the bouncer opened up the doors for Kagome and InuYasha, they felt the subtle yet strong vibrations coming from inside the building.

Rin bounced down the stairs carefully before their eyes could wander too long in the building.

"Hi, hi!" She greeted, "follow me!"

Rin couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old, so her independency caught Kagome off guard as they followed her up the stairs. Kagome caught a glimpse of the room they were just outside of that seemed to be where the action was. She gasped in excitement.

"So that's what your driver meant by show—a fashion show!?"

InuYasha gave Kagome a look, not quite understanding the appeal. Rin simply nodded as she padded lightly onward down the corridor barefoot.

"Sesshy owns a fashion line in the youkai district, this is his debut in the human district to display his work to potential buyers." Once Rin reached the end of the corridor with her two companions, she heaved open a door that towered over her, her heels digging into the ground for extra support.

A comfortable sized room was revealed, speckled with décor of shades of red and white. There was a mini bar on the side, accented with a water stream beside it. The opposing wall was a glass window that overlooked the fashion show stage from below. At the center was a sofa with a beautiful white fur rug in front of it. Once again, Kagome felt underdressed for the occasion and wished she had bought InuYasha some nicer clothes. At least he was wearing all black. Kagome gazed at the portraits around the viewing room. They encompassed Sesshomaru in various poses and an array of daring outfits.

"Sesshomaru is a model?" Kagome asked in awe, never thinking she would come across one in person.

"Was. Sesshy retired and now watches his work on the runway." Rin filled in, shuffling about at the minibar. Her petite hand peaked over slightly to slide a juice box on the counter.

InuYasha watched from below, the man with the same silver hair like his own directing orders at the supermodels. He tried his best to remember anything, but the only thing that flashed in his mind was the names he had written down.

It was only moments later that the man of the hour walked into the viewing room, he didn't say a word. He simply narrowed his eyes down at Rin as she and Kagome innocently drank from their juice boxes.

"Rin, what is the meaning of this, why are they here?"

Rin fished into the front pocket of her dress and padded lightly to Sesshomaru, who made her look nothing more than a dainty lady bug in comparison.

"I'd like to use my last No-Objection card from my birthday please." She outstretched her hand to displace the crumbled-up paper. It was obvious to Kagome how long she must have been holding onto it considering how frayed it was.

"Rin-" he began to object, his fang poking through his lip as he snarled. He looked into her captivating brown eyes, his first mistake, and sighed.

"Very well." He elegantly made his way to the adjacent sofa to halfway pay attention to what was going on down at the runway.

"I can tell you're a busy man, Mr. Sesshomaru, but I feel like InuYasha is in danger if I don't figure out what is going on soon." Kagome pleaded.

"Why would that concern me?" He rested his elbow against the back of the sofa with a challenging look.

"Sesshy I know I'm little, but you thought that he was uncle too! It has to be him."

Sesshomaru caught eyes with InuYasha again.

"Inmate 2417. That's what the family knew him as. My lineage is of inu-youkai and what my brother did was unforgivable."

InuYasha held a solemn look, being accused of being someone that did something worthy of jail was unsettling. Kagome instinctively grabbed his hand for comfort and he relaxed.

"But you've wasted your time coming here." Sesshomaru continued. "You couldn't be him. He's—" He stopped midsentence and glanced over to where Rin was, deciding not to finish that sentence.

Suddenly, persistent knocking came to the viewing room. Sesshomaru sprang up, appreciative for the escape and answered the door. On the other side a smaller lizard demon held up a bouquet of flowers.

"For you milord!" His scratchy high-pitched voice chirped. "Your designs get better and better each year I swear it! Oh if only I could see you walk the runway once more—Swoooooon!"

"Jaken, that's enough." Sesshoumaru growled low in his chest.

From across the room, Kagome leaned over to Rin "Who's that?" She asked aloud.

"His name's Jaken, he wishes he was a groupie of lord Sesshomaru. He always comes to bring him a gift." She whispered.

Kagome chuckled lightly, he and InuYasha were quite beautiful specimens compared to the people she's encountered in life thus far.

Sesshomaru cleared his throat and instinctively Rin bounced up for assistance to show Jaken his way out. He shut the door once more, took a deep breath and rejoined his unexpected guests back on the sofa.

"Like I was trying to say. He's dead. I apologize Rin coaxed you here without my knowledge."

Kagome narrowed her brows in thought, how on Earth was this happening twice. It was becoming more frightening, she felt like she was figuring things out too slowly and wouldn't be able to save him in time.

"You found out after meeting us, didn't you?" Kagome asked sadly. "You didn't know?"

"He was on death row and the only reason he's ever brought up is Rin. The last I heard he was in jail and nothing more."

Kagome wanted to cry before the great youkai, she had no idea what she had gotten herself into. She needed help and she didn't know how to ask for it.

"Do you know, Izayoi?" InuYasha chimed in, reverting Sesshomaru's attention back to them from his show.

"Can't say I do, why?" They could tell that they were losing his interest with their presence.

InuYasha and Kagome shared a look once more, trying to figure out how to proceed. That wasn't the answer they had hoped for. It made no sense.

()()()

InuYasha and Kagome eventually excused themselves from the quarters of Sesshomaru, once again, Kagome failed to spew all the details to one individual in fear of being accused of being senile. They were together upright on her bed, the lamp on her bedside cascading the perfect silhouettes of them.

"I can't be modeled after two people, can I?" InuYasha wondered.

"Two people that are supposedly dead? InuYasha, there's something very wrong about all of this."

"I got it!" He said excitedly, his nose inches from her. "You buy me!"

"E-excuse me?" Kagome gulped, his excited expression was adorable.

"You outbid the other lady, so I can stay here with you!"

Their hands were clasped together now. She was overjoyed that he seemed to have wanted to stay with her as much as she wanted him to stay.

"InuYasha, it's not that simple. Do you know how much Shikons are going for? I'd never be able—"

"Steal me." He suggested. Kagome's eyes widened. "I wanna be your Shikon, nobody else's. If I'm modeled after those people oh well, as long as I get to be with you, I'll be happy."

Kagome's eyes started to well up with tears and she tried to look away as if that had any hopes of helping.

"Kagome, what's the matter?"

"I'm just scared. I don't know what's going to happen, and I'm not good at dealing with stuff like that. My heart aches for Izayoi and Rin-"

She contemplated it, perhaps they could both run for the hills in the youaki district where Urasue wouldn't find her. She could get a new phone and everything. She had no relatives holding her back. But InuYasha was simply one Shikon, what about the rest that were being manufactured? There was still something malicious going on and she had to find a way to stop it. She loved him. Despite all reasoning not to, she fell in love with him and it was making the situation that much harder. With hands still clasped in her Shikon's, she leaned forward and planted her lips on his. They stayed together for a few tender moments before pulling away. When she opened her eyes again, InuYasha started to tremor. His hair had traces of black in several regions of his hair beginning to form and his eyes a mixture of red and brown.

"InuYasha, what's happening to you?!" Kagome cried.

His face relaxed and he completely powered down back to his peaceful sleeping expression.

"InuYasha!" Nothing happened. "InuYasha!"

Kagome hurriedly grabbed her phone in the midst of her panic attack.

"Hello? Sango? Your husband's a cop, right? I need help." She said into the phone nervously.

 **Next Update: 12/21/18**


	13. Chapter 13

**So sorry for the delay! Hope you enjoy!**

"I fucking knew it." Sango grumbled, attempting to console her friend on the couch beside her. She had just gotten off from work, when Kagome had called but she had immediately rushed over after grabbing Miroku. "Nothing came up when I tried looking for their company, Kagome."

Miroku leaned over as InuYasha slumbered lifelessly, now moved over to the living room. Sango had filled him in on the ride over and Kagome brushed up on the details upon their arrival. This definitely fell out of his department's capabilities, but he was trying to figure out his best course of action.

"Sweetheart, we would have a lead if one family stepped forward and claimed him, but there's two and that's not adding up." Miroku speculated. "There isn't a pulse. Are you sure there ever was?" There was hesitancy in his question, but naturally he was a skeptical person.

Kagome slowly shifted her sad eyes to the ground, tears still occupying her lashes. She didn't know anymore. Was it possible she breathed life into him and it was nearly nothing more than a façade? No, his smile was real. His laughter was real. His concern for her wellbeing…why wouldn't he be real? Sango darted her eyes at her husband; he wasn't doing a great job at helping the situation.

"You guys, I can't even pronounce him dead. This happened what, a couple of hours ago and his face has yet to grow pale? Kagome, I know you don't want to, but we have to contact Urasue." Miroku tried to ration.

"I can't bear the thought of never seeing him again. We were actually gonna run." She scoffed softly, amazed that the thought actually crossed her mind. Did she really love InuYasha that much?

"He's not just gonna spring back to life without the company's help. I'll go with you. We'll figure everything out rationally and in a safe manner."

Sango's heart ached for her friend. This beta project had gotten too out of hand. She knew Kagome was vulnerable to falling for anything, anyone, after what she had been through. Kagome simply nodded. What other choice did she have?

()()()()

Urasue had ordered some of her employees to retrieve the malfunctioned Shikon the following day. She had a light-hearted tone of shock at what happened, seeing as this hadn't happened to any of her other Shikons that were also being beta-tested. Urasue told Kagome that her trial period was seized by default, apologetic that it happened mere days before the anticipated retrieval. She promised she would still be compensated for the full period.

Kagome watched helplessly as they placed her prince in a crate similar to the one she received him in. If she would have known she would have felt this shitty after the beta testing, she would have never signed for it. She wondered childishly if she could kiss him and he would awaken like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, but in fact, the opposite happened. Would he still be functioning right now if she hadn't done what she did? It killed the moment, that's for sure.

Luckily for her, she didn't have to go pounding on Urasue's front door, she had invited her to collect her final notes although she didn't know how valid that was considering she had labeled him "malfunction."

Kagome insisted she was fine and had Miroku wait in the lobby for her, promising it wouldn't take too long.

Once again she found herself back in Urasue's flower-adorned office, still no better dressed than she was the first time she had been there.

Before her mind could wander endlessly, Urasue made her way to her desk.

"Hi Kagome, how are you?" She curled a smile, her lips obviously freshly painted red.

"Fine thank you." She simply replied.

"So sorry about your beta Shikon, that took all of us for a whirl. My main engineer is taking a look at it as we speak. So, overall what do you think about our product?"

"They're amazing, to put simply." Kagome paused briefly. She didn't know why she was so nervous. Urasue, if you don't mind, I'm quite interested in how Shikons are manufactured. Its unsettling how realistic they are."

"We might be here all day with the science talk—" Urasue began, clearly not wanting to get into all of it with a simpleton.

"Urasue, you don't understand. When I first received InuYasha, he seemed confused with the unfamiliar surroundings. He bleeds and quickly heals. his strength is incomparable. It was like every day he was trying to remember who he was, is there something you're not telling me?"

It was a lot for Urasue to take in. Usually her beta testers were content with the money compensation

And were on their way.

"Well Kagome, if you sign these contracts for me that nothing we show you leaves this building and that you don't run off and attempt to steal our idea, we will be more than happy to tour you through the process."

Kagome eagerly reached for the nearest pen.

()()()()

"Kagome, this is Tsubaki, our main microbiologist that helped start up this company. She'll be able to explain better than I ever could. If you two need me, I'll be in my office."

Tsubaki had jet black hair, similar to the woman Izayoi they had recently met. She was endowed with a sleek white laboratory coat and heels that clicked lightly on the freshly polished tile. She wasted no time describing the process to Kagome.

"We start with human DNA from a donor recipient, giving us the main structure for human anatomy. We also incorporate—"

"Donor recipient?" Kagome interrupted. Tsubaki stopped in her steps.

"Yes, like a regular one. UNOS decides which donors can be contributed to science technology so we work with what we get." Tsubaki smiled, continuing down her line of petri-dishes and microscopes. "We then incorporate demon DNA for longevity purposes. I am quite jealous of their lifespan."

"I thought demons weren't able to be donors?" Kagome asked.

"Under normal circumstances, you're right, they aren't. The youkai district works a little differently though, and on the science side we use donors strictly for science purposes. Our donors in specific come from those that received the death penalty in the youkai district. A good way to make use of their worthless selves, huh? Their bodies inevitably owned by the justice system."

Kagome took a second to process things. It made sense if the human dna came from Aisha who died in the event of a car accident. Sesshoumaru did mention that he thought InuYasha was in jail, so perhaps his body was donated? But how on Earth were memories passed over from both of them?

A metal door opened up like a giant vault beside them, interrupting Kagome's thought process. Out from the steam came a scrawny old man with a mask to protect him from debris. He had bug-like eyes and black gloves that covered his bony hands probably riddled with arthritis.

"Oh, Totosai! Hello!" Tsubaki bowed. "Kagome this is Totosai, our main engineer of the Shikons. Combining biology with physics and engineering does wonderful things."

Kagome held out her hand, but Totosai just looked at her dumbfounded. He looked back into the room he had just emerged from.

"Huh. Well that's strange." He said in a voice, which clearly needed throat-clearing. "That's the name written on the Shikon I'm working on right now."

"Well it's quite a popular name in J—" Tsubaki started to say.

"Here, I'll show ya." He grabbed Kagome's hand into the steam vaulted room, the door shutting behind them. Once Kagome's eyes adjusted, she saw what she imagined a morgue room would look like. In the center was InuYasha on an examine table. Her eyes welled up once more. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to see him again. He was lifeless, just like before they had boxed him up for repair.

"From the look in your eyes, it seems to me you've met before." Totosai stated. His bug-eyed appearance gave her the impression he wasn't good with social ques and was awkward.

"I was _his_ beta-tester and he crashed." Kagome said sadly. "You said my name is written on him?"

Totosai walked over to InuYasha, picking up his left hand. "Yup. It's written on the inner portion of his ring finger in marker. You didn't do it?"

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. She didn't quite know what it meant, but it made her happy nonetheless. She merely shook her head.

"What happened before he shut down? Did you try and give him a bath or something?" Totosai joked, examining in one of InuYasha's ears with a medical instrument.

"I um-" Kagome's face tinged a beautiful shade of pink across her nose. Totosai was looking at her now, not sure if he wanted to know the answer anymore. "I kissed him." She admitted. Totosai found it quite interesting that she kept referring to the Shikon as him.

He rose his brow at her, scratching his head. "That's it? That's why it malfunctioned? But we designed them to—" His gears were grinding against each other in his brain and then it finally clicked for him. "Remarkable. Could it be-"

He unlatched the vault excitedly. "Tsubaki! Tsubaki!" He screamed like a chicken with its head cut off. Unfortunately, she was still on the other side of the door, so he rammed right into her. She looked irritated that he left her on the other side of the vault, but his intelligence was incomparable, so she tolerated him.

"What is it Totosai." She grumbled.

"I figured it out! Our shikon didn't malfunction-it fell in love! We must tell Urasue; my experiment, it all makes sense!"

Tsubaki just looked it him like he was an idiot. Kagome tried to stifle how touched she was to hear that. Did that mean he was going to be okay?

She finally noticed the vibration of her cellphone in her pocket. It was Miroku.

"Hello?"

"Jesus Christ, Woman! I thought they had kidnapped you and I was gonna have to go Sango Demon-Slayer on their asses! It's been a half hour, where are you?"

 **Next Update: I'm currently working on it now, so I'll post it as soon as it's finished cause I feel bad for missing my last deadline. But at the lasted: 1/04/19.**


	14. Chapter 14

"What is the old geezer going on about?" Urasue asked Tsubaki with fingertips together in front of her lips; her elbows perched up on her desk.

"I'm right here—rude!" Totosai jerked around abruptly from writing his chicken-scratch on the whiteboard. It was positioned in the center of Urasue's office. "I was _saying,_ the young, _nice- unlike you two-_ lady Kagome said she had kissed the Shikon right before it shut down completely. I speculate it was initiating unforsaken territory for the Shikon, that being _love_ of course, so I programmed them to shut down before they evoke human feelings. Ya'll ever seen that Will Smith movie? We have to prepare for that."

"Aw I love that American actor." Tsubaki chimed in, losing interest in what the old man had to say.

"Not my point, woman!" Totosai scolded, throwing the dry-eraser at her with excellent precision. "Somehow our beta-tester got one of our Shikons to mimic human feelings beyond what we promised as a company. This is great data and unfortunately one we need to fix for legality issues of course."

"How do you suppose the Shikon managed that on its own, Totosai?" Urasue challenged.

"You forget the human portion we incorporate. Those emotions didn't just stem from nothing." Totosai glared back. "We're playing a more dangerous game with this hybrid DNA than we initially thought."

"None of the other Shikons are expressing any similarities in my beta-testers' evaluations. It doesn't make sense. Cancel the factory reset. I want it shut down completely. Take inu-youaki off our list of experimental testing." Urasue grabbed her sunglasses and purse and excused herself out of her office. It was unfortunate, but she was going to have to find a different model for her client Kikyo, and fast.

()()()()

"Kagome as you fucking crazy?" Miroku tried to whisper as Kagome shuffled through some cabinets in an office she found unlocked next to the bathrooms.

"Probably. How much do you know about youkai law?"

"Uh, definitely not an expert in it." Miroku said with sass in his voice as he looked around the room, hoping not to be spotted by someone. "Can't you just go to the bathroom like a normal person?"

Kagome pulled out a VHS tape and nonchalantly took it over to the bulky tv in the room. Similar to the ones she remembered they would roll into the classrooms when it was a movie day.

"You're a cop, aren't you? Protect me. I'm just trying to figure out if they're sketchy or not." She slipped in the tape and turned on the TV.

"They so kindly gave you a tour, I think we're in the clear." He argued with a roll of his eyes. "What'd you find?"

"Looks like a court ruling." Kagome watched more without sound. "Holy shit. It's Sesshomaru's brother."

Miroku took a closer look. "That's who you think your doll-thing was modeled after?"

"No, now I know for a fact it was." She watched the youkai on the fuzzy tv screen. His eyes glaring with hatred in pools of red and blue. His fluorescent white hair appeared to have a life of its own beside him, graciously. "Even so, he had a family. How could his body just be completely claimed by the youkai district itself? Aisha was a donor so I guess, but…Shouldn't the families know?"

"I'll have to run an investigation down at the station and do some research on youkai law. There aren't too many roaming the streets in the human district, and if there is, they're in hiding."

"I wonder what he did. Sesshomaru seems to dislike him."

"I'm sure it takes a lot to be put on death row in the youkai district. Who knows. Can we get out of here now?"

"Yeah, yeah you baby. I should have brought Sango." Kagome gathered her things, making sure she had her last check on her.

As they were in the hallway looking for the exit, Tsubaski ran into them, a clipboard close to her chest.

"Oh, Kagome. I'm glad you're here. Urasue wanted me to have you fill these out before you left." She presented the clipboard and Kagome forced a smile. She was running out of time to find an elaborate plan to save InuYasha. It was difficult to do when he was lifeless on an exam table, inside a vaulted room.

"What's going to happen to him?" Kagome asked. She was hoping the beta-testers got a free Shikon as compensation, but that was wishful thinking.

"They're actually quite puzzled with what happened, so I can't say I know the answer to that. Something about you elicited its human feelings which they otherwise thought were locked up tightly. But that's what these beta-tests are for, I suppose." Tsubaki simply shrugged it off. Tsubaki excused herself, telling Kagome she could slide the papers under Urasue's office door when she was finished.

Kagome retreated to the meeting room that was unlocked to fill out the form. It was a questionnaire about her experience with the Shikon. She grew more defensive as she read on with the questions.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Miroku asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her face was evident she had made a discovery.

"They knew about my family the whole time?" Kagome's chest rose and fell at an increasing rate. "That's why I was nominated to fucking beta-test?"

Miroku picked up the papers to read. They were personal questions that asked if the shikon helped the grieving process and such. The only other person that knew Kagome was grieving was her friend Ayumi who had suggested Kagome for the project.

"I'm sure Ayumi just wanted to help you." Miroku offered. "I'm sure there was no ill intent—"

Despite all reasoning, Kagome still felt hurt and like she was used. She despised feeling vulnerable. Just who exactly was the beta-tester here? Kagome had lost her family in a car accident. They were on their way to her graduation ceremony but never made it. The questionnaire managed to reopen some wounds Kagome promised herself would never revisit. She no longer had any desire to fill any of it out.

"If I would have known this is why Ayumi recommended me I would have never—"

Miroku wanted to argue with his friend but he knew sometimes it was better to just sit tight and listen. He learned that best from his wife. Kagome didn't like the whole 'consoling' factor when it came to losing her family. She purposely shut everyone out.

A heart-wrenching roar echoed through the hallway as if someone was in immense pain; it almost sounded inhumane.

"What the hell was that?" Miroku began to get up to look around. He had wished he came in uniform.

()()()()

"Totosai, what's happening in there!?" Tsubaki grabbed at her hair from outside of the vaulted room.

Totosai looked at Tsubaki with his usual expression of absence. "Relax, it's in restraints. Awake apparently, but in restraints nonetheless."

They both watched in horror as a fist outline was punched through the vault door. Tsubaki's eyes were nearly bulging out as much as Totosai's; she searched him for an answer.

"Well then. Every man for himself." Totosai concluded and began to frantically run off, leaving a fuming Tsubaki. There was always something that happened whenever their boss was out of the office. She pressed on her earpiece as another jut towards the vault was attempted to open it.

"I need security to the second-floor vault immediately!"

A woman skidded into the room, with a short bob of black hair complimented with a red ribbon.

"What's the problem ma'am?"

Before Tsubaki could whine that the only female security guard came to her aid, the vault burst open vehemently by their Inu-shikon, scaring her out of her wits. She didn't sign up for this.

It was InuYasha, but emulating a more demonic demeanor than Kagome had grown to know and love. His hair was disheveled, expressing areas of both white and black unevenly. His fangs were poking through his lips ferociously and his eyes were cold.

The young security guard, Yura, wasted no time in utilizing her abilities of hair that shot out from her wrists in an attempt to restrain the shikon. Tsubaki was impressed by the secret abilities of the security guard. The silk like material wrapped around InuYasha and Yura dug her heels into the ground for support. InuYasha struggled slightly and growled deeply in his throat.

"These things don't have a fail-safe shut down?" Yura grunted through her teeth.

"Only Urasue and Totosai would know and that sonofabitch ran!"

" _Where's Kagome?"_ InuYasha asked impatiently, his voice sounding like it was traveling through a voice-alternator. Tsubaki and Yura hadn't heard the shikons speak personally, but they certainly didn't picture them sounding anything like now. His arms flexed enough to snap the silk restraints. He caught hold of the frayed ends and tugged them to the side, taking Yura flying with them.

Tsubaki took off running, kicking off her heels so she could make more distance. InuYasha took a deep whiff of the air in search of Kagome's scent and treaded forward robotically.


	15. Chapter 15

"That sounded like InuYasha." Kagome gasped, getting up from her position on the ground, abandoning the forms.

"Uh…" Miroku began in objection, not wanting to stay around and find out.

In that moment, Totosai came running towards them at the opposite end of the hallway. As quickly as possible for a man his age of course. His mouth was agape when he saw Kagome standing curiously at the other end.

"Quick woman, run! He's after you!" Totosai warned, soon losing his breath. Kagome didn't have much time to process before InuYasha emerged around the corner like he was after his prey. Kagome almost didn't recognize him.

Miroku grabbed her wrist and the two sprinted in the opposite direction.

"Miroku, let me go!" Kagome squirmed as she was pulled along with his running.

"Kagome, they've clearly lost control of their cyborg and it wants you, are you out of your mind!"

InuYasha simply trudged passed Totosai who had flattened himself against the wall as much as his body would allow.

Kagome broke free from Miroku's grasp and headed towards the direction of InuYasha.

"InuYasha!" She cried, running as quickly as her tiresome legs would allow. He stopped in his tracks, mumbling her name under his breath. His claws had extended to great lengths. She crashed into his chest without consulting her better judgement and wrapped her arms around him. "It's me, what wrong with you!"

"Kagome! Use the voice activated subjugation!" Totosai instructed. "Before it's too late."

"InuYasha!" She pleaded, wincing at the pain as his claws sunk into the flesh of her back. "InuYasha, sit!"

His demon cried out in defeat as a powerful electric volt surged through his body. The current flowed through Kagome as well but she didn't let go of him. The red and blue pools invading his eyes seeped out like viscous tears.

"Ah. Inuiei. There's my brother." A similar voice called, ascending the stairs with an angry Urasue at his side. Sesshomaru rose a brow down at Urasue as she clasped her hands together in a peculiar shape and began chanting under her breath.

The necklace around InuYasha's neck shattered in that instance, sprinkling tiny fragments against the freshly polished floor. They could almost hear the janitor sigh in the distance.

InuYasha came back to his senses, bringing all of his attention to the woman who collapsed in his arms from the electric shock.

"Totosai, I can't leave the office for thirty minutes without the entire place combusting, what the fuck?" Urasue ran her fingers over her temples.

"Alright I don't know what's going on here, but I need you to come with me." Miroku flashed Urasue his police badge that was tucked under his shirt.

Urasue rose a challenging brow. "That's fine with me, but perhaps you might want to consider taking her to the hospital first."

()()()()

Kagome's eyes opened slowly, her lashes separating reluctantly like the teeth of a Venus flytrap. She didn't recognize the room she had currently been slumbering in. She was adorned in a hospital gown and hooked up to several monitors. Her vision finally came into focus and luckily by her side was none other than InuYasha.

In a groggy voice she attempted to speak. He rose out of his seat and covered her hand with his.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry." It was evident that if there was a heart inside his chest, it was shattered for what he had put her through.

"For what?" She smirked. "Shocking me on purpose the first time or the second time? I'm only human remember."

"I can't explain what happened, but even so, please accept my sincere apologies."

"InuYasha, it's not your fault what they did to you. You have nothing to apologize for." She reassured.

"I hurt you." He said sadly, light traces of blood still outlined in his nailbeds.

"Not in my eyes. I'm just glad I got to see you once more." She squeezed his hand and gently lifted his ring finger that had her name still written on it in tiny writing. "What's this?"

"I figured that if they were going to initiate a factory reset on me, I wanted to have at least one clue to remember you by. After all, that seemed to have helped for Izayoi and Sesshomaru."

"You're sweet." She gazed into his eyes for a couple of moments before realizing something. "Your necklace. It's gone."

"It was a shackle that linked me to Urasue, she had to break it in order to save you. Otherwise the shock would have—"

"I know."

"I had to beg for them to even let me see you. Your friend Miroku probably has an entire s.w.a.t. team outside the door."

There was a gentle knock at the door.

"Come in." Kagome said.

Rin entered the room first with a bouquet of flowers, followed by former supermodel Sesshomaru looking as fabulous as ever.

"I thought I saw you at Shikon Corp." Kagome stated at Sesshomaru, recalling the memory.

"Yes. I went to confront Urasue with my own research about her unethical business. My lineage of inu-youkai will not stand for the continued use of youkai DNA in her product. Low and behold we walk into her product losing its mind and throwing about her employees which is yet another lawsuit under her belt."

"You're going to sue her company?"

"As should you."

Miroku joined the party in Kagome's recovery room, now dressed in his policemen attire. The pants complimented his backside quite nicely.

"Urasue's work checks out unfortunately. You won't get far with the lawsuit." Miroku sighed. "InuYasha was a peculiar case but she's been given an extended period to tweak her operation so that this doesn't happen again."

"Where I come from, _human_ , I'm well known and get what I want." Sesshomaru challenged.

"Sesshy offered a sum Urasue couldn't refuse. InuYasha belongs to you now Kagome." Rin spoiled excitedly.

Sesshomaru scoffed and rolled his eyes, excusing himself from the room.

InuYasha and Kagome looked at each other excitedly and Rin giggled lightly. They reminded her of the storybook characters that Sesshomaru would read to her. She may have utilized her last Christmas gift for Kagome's sake.

"I want to kiss you right now, but I'm afraid we'll end up back to where we started." Kagome chortled.

"That's something I'm willing to risk." InuYasha smiled back shyly at her and kissed her lightly. Rin hid her blushing face in the bouquet of flowers.

A clawed hand reached in and dragged her out.

"Lord Sesshomaru." Rin gasped, looking up with a smile, her front teeth missing.

"Are you happy?"

"Very much so!" Rin hugged Sesshomaru's leg. "Uncle's back in our life. Sort of, but it'll do."

()()()()

"Damn that Sesshomaru! Who does he think he is." Urasue snarled, leaning over her desk.

"You did take the check graciously." Totosai stated, leaning against the sofa in her office.

"He attempted to make my work look malicious. That was never my intention. I wanted to make use of worthless bodies on death row and have medical breakthroughs with organ donors to help Japan's loneliest people. We created art and somehow that girl corrupted my work."

Each time Totosai heard the word 'my' his eyes bugged out a little more and he looked a little more spaced out than usual. "What's so hard for you to process about the love that the human DNA provided was reborn? She simply nurtured it. Both the human and youkai had taken over at some point. It's remarkable if you ask me. You even mashed their names together for the hybrid, how much more disrespectable can _you_ be."

The fire in Urasue's eyes nearly singed Totosai's body.

()()()()()()

 **One Year Later.**

Kagome carefully unraveled a family portrait with InuYasha beside her in her apartment. InuYasha helped her frame it in the dining room.

"They would have really loved you, InuYasha." Kagome assured. InuYasha snaked his arms around her and hugged her warmly.

"Come and eat you two." Izayoi smiled, patting them both on the shoulder and proceeded to the kitchen to set the platters on the table. Kagome took in the scene, her hand never leaving InuYasha's. Rin and Sesshomaru were filling the cups for everyone. Miroku and Sango were flirting at the table. Ayumi had added some last minute spices to the meal before helping Izayoi bring over everything. Kagome smiled warmly. This was the most people she had ever had at her apartment since losing her family. She was happy that it was InuYasha she had received in the crate, and nobody else.

()()()()

Somewhere in America, in a dark, secluded house a woman swayed seductively from side to side as she descended into her chamber. Her body was clasped in nothing but a shear robe that beautifully outlined her hips. She stood before a crate that was nearly six foot and licked her lips excitedly.

She snipped away at the zipties with ease and lifted the crate open. She took a moment to relish at the Shikon's beauty before shifting over the black tresses to one side and read the name marked on its neck.

"Naraku."

Precious crimson eyes opened to welcome his master, Kikyo.

 **THE END**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **InuYasha-Breeze**


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